Do No Harm
by St Elmo's Fire
Summary: In which a human child falls into a very different Underground, one where the monsters are just as cruel as the legends foretold. Hounded by pain and malice on all sides, the child refuses to accept that it's kill or be killed. Everyone can be a good person, if they only try. (Underfell AU)
1. Home and Hearth

Howdy! This work is based on the Underfell AU. You can learn more about it by clicking on the tag here, or by searching it on Tumblr. The "canon" is loosely defined and has numerous interpretations, but the basic gist of it is an AU that flips the script: the monsters really are evil and violent, but Flowey is good. If you're confused about anything, please ask for clarification in the comments.

Note that because FFN is terrible and won't let me use Unicode characters, I've had to use bold 8's for scene breaks. Pretend they're hearts. This displays properly on Archive of Our Own, so you can read the story there if you want the full experience.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **"I refuse to accept this fate."**

 **8**

You open your eyes and blink, slowly. You are someplace dark. Underground? You can see a thin shaft of light from far above, shedding just enough light to see hints of rock in the darkness. Yes, underground.

You turn to the side, and see that you are lying on a hard, flat rock floor. Startled, you paw at the ground. Your hand runs into something, and you bring it to your face for a closer look: a shriveled, lifeless flower, breaking through a patch of loose rock. You can't even begin to guess what it looked like when it was alive; all that's left is a rusty brown thing that crumbles in your fingers even as you try to get a better look.

You sigh, and suddenly everything hurts. Oh, right. You fell, didn't you? Carefully, you feel around your body for any injuries, and… yep, your arm's broken. You think you've got some cracked ribs too, and probably a dislocated shoulder – your unbroken arm's moving weirdly. You huff in annoyance – though it comes out more like a wheeze – and rest your head back on the hard ground. How are you going to get out of this mess?

"H… Howdy!"

You turn towards the voice. Poking out of the ground next to you is a short flower with a healthy green stem, five yellow petals, and a cartoonishly large face. He's grinning, but the smile quickly fades as he looks over your body.

"You're hurt!" he squeaks. "Oh no, that's not right, there's supposed to be…" His speech degrades into worried, unintelligible whining and he glances around the cavern desperately, as if searching for something.

You cough wetly, and his attention snaps back to you. "I'm sorry! Right! I should help you! I'm not great with healing magic, but I've been practicing, um, try to stay still…"

He closes his eyes, and you're suddenly surrounded by a green glow. Panicking, you force yourself upright even as you nearly fall over – this must be a trick, he's going to kill you – but as you raise your arms, you see cuts and bruises fade away to healthy, unbroken skin, and your shoulder shifts back. Testing your weight, you notice your leg's fine too. After a moment of confusion, you sigh in relief.

"Woah – hey, I told you not to move! You're lucky that…" The flower's voice trails off strangely. "Wait, you kinda look like…"

The flower's stem goes ramrod straight when you turn to look him straight in the eye, like he's jumping up in shock. "Uh, sorry?" you say awkwardly. He just looks at you quizzically. "I mean, thanks. Um… What's your name?"

For a moment, he just stares at you with a blank expression, his eyes so wide you're worried they'll swallow his whole face. You're about to ask again when he vigorously shakes his head and puts on a pitifully fragile smile. "Oh, I'm, uh"–a split-second of hesitation–"Flowey! Yeah! Flowey the flower!"

You can't help but laugh at that. "H-Hey!" Flowey squeaks petulantly. "I'm not good at names, okay!" You keep chuckling, but stop dead when you see his expression change. He's looking at you with something almost approaching fear. He speaks in a halting, cracking voice: "What about you? What's _your_ name?" He's staring intently, hanging on your answer. The air suddenly feels heavy.

You give your friendliest smile. "My name is Frisk," you say.

Flowey's expression remains still. He opens his mouth to say something, but it turns into a shrill cry as he's thrown violently across the cavern, roots and all, from a blast of fire.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…"

You jump at the rumbling, masculine voice, startled by the deep pitch, and swivel around towards the source. In the archway branching off from the cavern is a huge, bipedal goat – but what strikes you the most is his robe: a severe black cloak with blood-red trim. On his chest is a shield-shaped emblem that looks like a bunch of geometric shapes sprouting angel wings, red on black. You find it unsettling.

You notice he's looking at you. His face is comfortingly human – familiar, almost – with white, round eyes that look down at you with soft, fatherly compassion. His face is elongated into a long, bushy muzzle, but his fur is so neatly cropped that it could be a human beard. He does have horns, though – thick, narrow pillars pointing straight up, tapering to wicked points. They don't look like the horns of any goat you've seen. Above his hand hovers a small sphere of flame, illuminating the space like a tiny sun.

He walks closer and extends his other hand – also humanlike, you notice, with five furred digits. "Ah, do not be afraid, my child." He must have noticed your hesitation. "I am Asgore, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down." His voice is a deep, rolling rumble, like rocks grinding together in the earth. He smiles warmly. "Come! I will guide you through the catacombs. They are dangerous to traverse alone."

You hesitate, and glance back. Flowey is nowhere to be seen. "What about him?" you ask.

"The flower?" Asgore's voice suddenly turns harsh. He sets his jaw and shakes his head. "You should not trust the monsters down here, child. They are quite dangerous. I am sure he was only trying to manipulate you." He smiles again, though there's still a hardness in his eyes. "Fortunately, I can keep them at bay. You won't have to worry as long as you're with me."

 _And what about you?_ you want to say, but you choke back the words. Asgore seems like a gentle giant, but somehow you don't feel any more comfortable than you did when you were with Flowey.

Instead, you smile politely. It feels awkward on your face, but Asgore doesn't seem to notice. You take his hand – you're surprised by the presence of claws, and carefully avoid the sharp points – and he leads you through the cave with strong, purposeful strides. He moves slowly enough for you to keep up easily, but he holds your hand just a bit too tight, like he's worried you'll slip away. He doesn't seem to notice, and you don't say anything.

As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you see signs of civilization. The walls aren't natural cave formations, but smooth, purple-tinged brick layered into massive structures. Asgore leads you up large, rounded stairs as a stone wall looms above you. Though you're impressed by its grandness, it is severely bare, with none of the ivy or dropped leaves you would expect from ancient buildings on the surface. The dark, muted stone is unbroken and unending.

You step through the doorway, and notice immediately that the way forward is barred by a heavy stone door. "Do not be alarmed, child," Asgore says, smiling. "The Ruins are full of obstacles and puzzles. They are used to deter intruders and mark territory. But do not worry, I know the key to each one. Stay here." He lets go of your hand and strides off to another corner of the room. You move towards a placard on the far wall to get a better look. _Only the wise may proceed_ , it reads. _Not too bold, not too weak. To survive, one must walk the middle road. Deviance will be punished._

You hear a click, and the door swings open with a whoosh of air. "Hey!" Asgore shouts with an intensity that makes you jump. You whip around to look at him, and see him rushing towards you with a dark expression. He slows when he realizes you haven't gone far. "Ah," he says, smiling again. "You only wanted to read the inscription. Yes, of course. What a sweet, curious child you are." He ruffles your hair roughly and awkwardly, like he's seen the gesture before but has no idea how it's actually supposed to work. You let out a harsh little snort-laugh and he chuckles along with you.

He takes your hand again and pulls you into the next room. This one is much larger: a great, wide corridor, divided by streams of flowing water. You see it before Asgore does: the bridge across is covered in tightly-knit, upward-facing spikes. As you're working out the possibility of jumping across, Asgore hisses in frustration. "Of all times!" he groans. "I swear they do this just to spite me. This one isn't even a real puzzle," he mutters petulantly to himself as he lumbers over to the far wall, dragging you roughly. He fiddles with some switches set into the wall, and you try to pull away from him to get a better look.

"I am sorry, child," he says softly as he glances down at you, "but you must stay with me. We are in dangerous parts, now. What if you tripped and fell into the river, or the spikes, hm? Perish the thought." He finishes whatever he was doing, and the spikes on the bridge retract with a _shing_.

He's more gentle when he leads you back to the path, and speaks to you in a kind, fatherly voice. "I can show you all around the Ruins later, child, if you want to explore. But remember, curiosity killed the... er, what was it?" He stops and knits his brows in confusion.

"Cat?" you supply. His face lights up in recognition.

"Yes, that's right!" he rumbles cheerfully. "What a strange turn of phrase."

He speeds up again, walking across the lowered spikes fearlessly, but stops like he's hit a wall when he reaches the next archway. "Oh, not again," he groans.

He walks forward tentatively, and you peer around his cloak. The room is very small, with only one notable feature: a messy, ragged pile of leather, rags, straw, and other odds-and-ends. Some of the more intact pieces look like human limbs. They are all horribly battered, and some even appear burnt.

Movement flickers in the corner of your eye. Asgore whirls towards it, fury blazing in his eyes, and throws his arm out in a swift, practiced motion. You flinch as a massive stream of flame shoots towards the wall, but the target jumps out of the way. It's a large, frog-like creature with huge, mischievous eyes. "THOSE THINGS AREN'T CHEAP, YOU KNOW!" Asgore roars, but it just lets out a throaty cackle and runs into the next room, blending back into the shadows. Asgore gnashes his teeth in fury. After a moment, he rubs his forehead and lets out a heavy, irritated sigh.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he says. "The monsters like to fight these training dummies. But they are far too rough! They're always wrecking them and leaving me to clean up the mess." He glares at the pile for a while, then shakes his head and turns back to you. He smiles again, but it's even more strained than usual. "Ah, but you needn't worry about that, child. Let us continue."

 **8**

True to his word, Asgore leads you through the Ruins safely, and true to his word, he doesn't let you explore any of it. Every time you try to slip away, you're rewarded with a tighter grip and a tired, "Not now, child." Before long, you reach a large house, built stone by stone rather than set into the cavern wall. It doesn't actually look like much; the only thing that implies it has any significance is a large, wide walkway completely absent of monsters. It is completely absent of all life, in fact; nothing but the same smooth, uniform purple stone you've seen throughout the rest of the Ruins.

You walk through the doorway and Asgore _finally_ lets go of your hand. You're tempted to run off right now just to spite him, but that would be mean. He says something about this being your new home and that you should enjoy yourself, and once again tries, unsuccessfully, to ruffle your hair in a comforting manner.

"Oh, but you must be hungry, child!" he exclaims suddenly. "You have gone through a long and exhausting journey!" You roll your eyes. "No, no, you poor thing, I insist!" And then _he's holding you again_ and you're led through a parlor and into a kitchen and oh thank God he let go.

You inch towards the doorframe while watching Asgore warily. You freeze when he glances back at you, but he just begins rifling through cupboards and humming contentedly. "I have just the thing to cheer you up!" he says happily. "Everyone loves a nice warm pie. You like butterscotch and cinnamon, right? I just need to get some ingredients and..." He stops suddenly, his brow creasing. He leans forward, his horns bumping into the wood – he winces, but continues groping around desperately. "Oh no, oh no, it _has_ to be here...!" He moves with frantic speed to the neighboring cupboards, but doesn't have any more success. From what you can see, the cupboards are quite empty, and Asgore only succeeds in knocking over a few pitifully small jars and cans.

"Maybe it's in the cellar?" you offer.

"No!" Asgore says immediately, whirling towards you in a panic, but then his expression settles. "No," he repeats in a calmer voice. "I don't keep food down there. But that is a good thought, child." You brace yourself for another hair-shake, but he just stares into space and sighs morosely. "I suppose there's no helping it. I'll have to go into town and restock."

You don't like where this is going. "Do I have to come with you?" you grumble.

Asgore laughs good-naturedly and goes in for a tousle again – or so you think, but he just pats your head. (A little forcefully, but that's not so bad.) "Do not worry, child. It is safe here. You can make yourself at home – ahaha!" He laughs at his own joke. "However..." He frowns. "I will have to lock the door. For your own safety, you understand. I have kept you safe so far, but on your own, the monsters would surely destroy you. The area around this house is positively crawling with loox and migosp... they are extremely dangerous." He gives you a comforting smile. "But don't worry. I'll be back soon!" You want to scream, but you smile and nod instead. He nods back, walks out through the front door, and closes it with a click. From the window, you watch as he walks away, his imposing figure receding and blending in with the shadows of the cavern. He doesn't look back even once.

You have a feeling he's never actually going to let you explore the Ruins on your own. You'll have to take matters into your own hands.

You look over the house first. It's the first thing that hasn't been made of that purple stone; the floors are polished wood, the walls fine white plaster. It looks just like a home you'd see in a human city. But without Asgore here, it feels empty – the house was clearly built to accommodate his huge size, and you feel like an ant moving between the large rooms.

They're very normal rooms, though. The parlor's hearth is unlit, but recently used; you feel a little heat from the charcoal. Next to it, flush against the wall, is a large, well-stocked bookshelf, but the contents are all dry subjects like biology and war tactics. You try to get into one book about the human-monster war, but it's so dense your eyes glaze over before you can even make it through the introduction. The kitchen is similarly unremarkable, though the stovetop is immaculate – Asgore must use fire magic to cook instead.

On the other side of the house is a corridor containing the bedrooms – all two of them. One is locked – Asgore's, you presume. The other was definitely inhabited once, but not anymore: though there is only a bed, a lamp, and an empty wardrobe, the room is almost as large as the parlor, with conspicuous gaps between the few fixtures. Looking closely, you see scuff marks in the wood and outlines of picture frames on the walls, obvious signs that this room was once more lavishly furnished. But right now, it feels like a prison, and the peeling red paint makes you think of blood. You shiver, and back out.

That just leaves the cellar. You leap down the steps two at a time... and almost smack into a door at the bottom. Though, looking up at it, you think the word "vault" might be more accurate. Unlike the stone doors in the rest of the Ruins, this barrier is sturdy steel. You knock on it and hear a solid _clang_ , but nothing else happens. You don't see a keyhole or any other locking mechanism. Well then.

You let out a disappointed sigh. The house is so _normal_ – well, aside from the cellar, but you're not getting in any time soon. You can't help but feel disappointed. You hope the Ruins themselves will be more interesting.

As you investigate the front door, you decide you should really learn how to pick locks sometime. The front door really is locked, and locked firmly. You think maybe you could knock it down if it was wood, but it's solid stone like everything else has been. The windows, though... They're also locked, but they appear to be ordinary glass. You grab a fire poker from the parlor, and promptly jump from a flare of pain: you nicked yourself on the sharp end by accident. That's unusual. You thought fire pokers were supposed to be dull so people couldn't hurt themselves. Whatever, you'll be fine.

You walk towards the parlor window with determination and fire poker in hand. Asgore will probably be angry about this, but neither rain nor sleet nor overprotective goat-dads will stay you from your curiosity. Slowly, you raise the poker's heavy base and...

You hear a heavy grinding from the front door, followed by a loud click. Stunned, you drop your bludgeon. He couldn't be back already, could he? You definitely would have seen him. With a frenzied mix of apprehension and excitement, you rush to the door and push.

It swings open without resistance, and you're left staring down at Flowey. He breaks into a nervous, fearful grin and squeaks, "This is what you wanted, right?" His voice sounds even more childish than normal. When you nod, he lets out a relieved laugh. "Oh! Oh, good! See, I'm being helpful. I'm being good." He glances backward and his expression turns cautious. "You can go do whatever you want now. But... be careful, okay?" He looks up at you one last time, then burrows into the ground in the blink of an eye.

Weird. But you've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

You turn right at the fork. The path leads you to a curved room with colored switches, disguised as mushrooms and artfully hidden behind the pillars. You remember the order Asgore pressed them in – blue, then red, then green – but he didn't tell you how he knew. Are there any hints, like the placard in the first room?

You've spent several minutes examining the walls for any hidden mechanisms when you hear a portentous stomping. It gets louder and louder before stopping right behind you.

"Pick on me," says a deep voice.

You turn around to see a monster that looks like a self-aware eyeball's attempt at growing a body. Their massive eye is about as big as you, and it looks like it's about ready to pop out of its socket, bloodshot veins bulging and throbbing. In contrast, the monster's body is quite small and unintimidating – their arms look like noodles, they barely have any legs to speak of, and their mouth, though fixed in a permanent scowl, is quite small. You think the eye's gaze could pin you down more effectively than the limbs attached to it.

They suddenly shove you with those noodle arms, barely managing to reach you. There isn't much force to it, but you feel the prick of claws as you stumble back a bit. "Pick on me!" the loox says again. "C'mon! Don't you wanna fight?"

You jump in alarm. "What? No! We don't have to fight!" The loox's eye bulges even wider – you hadn't thought it possible – and they let out an ear-splitting screech.

"You rude little snipe!" Shimmering spheres shoot out from their eye at alarming speed. You dodge to the side, but one bounces off the wall and slams into your back like a sack of bricks, making you wince. You turn around to get a better look at the creature while continuing to backpedal.

"It's okay!" you try again. "I'm not gonna pick on you! I'm not gonna fight you!" You extend your hands outwards in the universal gesture of mercy, but that just seems to make them madder. The loox growls and shoots another stream of bubbles at you, strung together into a solid chain this time. You twist around awkwardly and it just barely misses you, but you overextend yourself and topple to the ground.

The loox stomps closer. You wrack your brains for a solution. There must be some way you can get out of this without either of you getting hurt.

"Pick on me!" they say again.

Could that be...?

You jump to your feet and scream " _You suck_ ," jabbing an accusatory finger towards the quivering eyeball. "You're dumb and ugly and, uh... you smell bad!"

You exalt with relief as you see their frown turn upside-down. "Yeah! Finally someone gets it!" They conjure a few more bubbles, but they float aimlessly, and you avoid them easily. The loox still moves forward.

Trying your best to match their own grin, you place your hands up again. "I won't fight you," you repeat.

There. You're friends now. You wait for the monster to smile, maybe shake your hand, and let you be...

Instead, to your shock, they just shove you again. "No, no!" they shriek, their grin faltering. "Now we _have_ to fight!"

"I don't understand –" you try to say as more bubbles slam into you, each one feeling like a punch to the gut.

"Fight me!"

"You _want_ to fight?" You messed up. Maybe you should try again later. You scan the area for avenues of escape.

"Yeah! Gonna fight everyone!"

"Uhh, uhh, look, I don't think you have to..." More bubbles. You roll out of the way, wincing at the pressure on your bruises, and try to run into the next room, but you don't get far before you smack straight into someone and fall flat on your back. You look up as a giant cockroach-like monster slowly turns around, furious eyes boring into you. The migosp hisses, and you suddenly realize those mouthparts look _very_ sharp.

You roll to the side quickly, but the attack never comes. When you open your eyes, you see the migosp is staring at the loox, its expression suddenly docile.

"Hey, Migosp! This thing won't fight me!" the loox yells from behind you. Looking around, you notice the noise has drawn attention. Huge eyes move out from behind pillars and rocks, staring into you.

"That sucks, man." The migosp is staring at you. "Huh... You know, Asgore was passing through here just now. Maybe we could –"

"Shut up! Someone's gotta pick on me!" the loox screams petulantly, stepping closer. The crowd that's formed murmurs in agreement.

The migosp looks a bit nervous, and takes a step back. "Woah, man, you're pretty fired up. I was just passing through, so how about I get this annoying thing out of your hair? You can fight, uh... when I come back. Yeah." They look at you again, eyes glinting with a predatory hunger. The exit is so close, but you can't reach it with all these eyes on you...

An idea suddenly occurs to you. "Why don't... you fight Migosp instead?" you tell the loox, hesitantly. You don't like fighting, but... maybe this will make them happy?

The migosp lets out a quiet yelp as the loox grins widely. "Hey, yeah! I don't have to wait for 'em to come to me, I can fight whoever I want!"

"Hey wait, I haven't even picked on you –" is all the migosp manages before the loox is on them and the two descend into a flurry of fists, bites, and bullets. The crowd cheers.

You run as fast as your legs can carry you. "This is great! You're not half-bad, weird thing!" one loox calls to you, but they don't pursue.

Once you're out of sight you collapse to the ground, clutching your sides and panting. Your body feels like it's tearing itself apart. The impact from the bubbles left you bruised all over, and you feel thick, wet blood on your shoulders where the loox's claws pricked you. But it's okay. You've survived worse. You can survive this. You just have to keep going. Keep going. Keep going.

Your desire to explore the Ruins... it fills you with **determination**.

You let out a calm, controlled breath, and rise to your feet with a bit more spring in your step. You recognize this room now that you're really looking at it: the big square room with six pitfalls. Asgore only checked the one with the switch, but you wondered what, if anything, was under the other five. Well, only one way to find out. You calmly walk onto the closest tile and let the ground crumble beneath you, being careful to fall feet-first.

Oh, you're... falling quite a bit faster than when Asgore did this.

You look down, and suddenly realize that there is nothing there to break your fall – only hard, rocky earth.

When you land, the impact jars your whole body. You hear a sickening crunch as your body fall out from beneath you, and then your legs feel like they're on fire. Tears burst from your eyes and you instinctively cry out, but there's no air in your lungs; you were winded by the impact. Your insides feel like they've been twisted into knots. You want to throw up.

You gasp for air like a fish and try to move. You only barely twitch your legs, but the pain makes you scream in agony. Now that you focus on the pain, it doesn't feel like they're on fire – more like your thighs have been stabbed with burning spears. As you look down, biting your lip in a vain attempt to stifle your whimpering, you see that's a pretty good approximation: your femur has torn itself out of your leg. It doesn't look anything like the neat, yellow-white bones you saw in school – it's dyed bright red, with strips of flesh still hanging from the sharp, jagged edges. It's spurting red liquid, which is pooling around you at an alarming rate. You want to keep crawling even still, but you can't muster the energy. As you watch the parched dirt drink up your blood, you begin to feel so... very tired...

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You wake up, shuddering. What... what just happened? It hurt _so much_ , why did it hurt so much? You couldn't feel anything but pain. You're scared. You recall the sensation of your broken body and start to cry, and... no. No. You're stronger than this. You switch to taking deep breaths instead. Slowly, you come to your senses.

You open your eyes and see you're not in the pit anymore, but in the archway, unhurt.

You stand up and look around: it's the same room, but the pitfall trap you triggered is back to normal.

Okay. So, that... didn't work. But there must be a way – you weren't hurt at all when Asgore jumped down. You're sure there wasn't a cushion – you would have noticed if there was a leaf pile or something – but maybe there's something else special about the one with the switch. You remember: it was the middle one on what's now your right.

You're about to step on the tile, but you hesitate. Maybe... you shouldn't be so reckless. You don't know if the same thing will happen again. You step back and think for a moment before pulling out your trusty stick instead. You tap the sturdy wood against the pitfall, and the tile collapses. _Carefully_ , you peer over the edge. You can clearly see the switch on the wall, but the fall appears to be the same depth, and the ground doesn't look any softer than in the other one. Hm.

Asgore must just be sturdier than you – or maybe he used magic to break his fall. But still, this is weird. The other monsters must have a way to use these things. Maybe only some of them are deathtraps? You don't feel up to testing the theory empirically, but you can investigate the other shafts with the stick.

You look at one. And another. And another. And another...

...Nothing.

There's not a single thing in any of the pits, as far as you could tell. They all looked exactly the same, except for the one with the switch. Why? What's the point of building things that have no purpose?

Frustrated, you toss a few stones down the shafts. Is that really all there is to this room? It's so bare and dull. Just the same featureless stone you've been staring at all the way here...

You're about to give up and move to the next room when one of your thrown pebbles produces a nasally yelp instead of the normal thud of stone on stone. You rush over to the shaft, but only see a tumble of shifting earth at the bottom. Did you hit Flowey? You feel guilty – you should have known something might be using the shafts.

You feel a rumbling in the stone, and then something burrows up from the ground near you.

"Need Protein," a weird, inhuman voice says. You turn to look at it more closely...

Good lord, what is this thing? It looks like a giant, misshapen raw meatball. Bloody juices and gooey chunks of meat drip off as it sidles towards you. Looking closely, you notice it has a face; where the loox were nearly all eyeball, this creature is mostly mouth, grinning from ear to ear. Or... where its ears would be. Its eyes, too, are crinkled with unbridled joy.

"Organic Free-Range," it continues before licking its lips with a huge, drooling tongue. You notice it has very sharp teeth.

"Uh, hi?" you venture.

"Food Can't Talk Dummy." It snickers, and suddenly – chunks of meat are falling from the ceiling? You look up in horror, but you can't see where it's coming from; if anything, the hail seems to be appearing out of thin air. One steak bounces off the ground with unexpected buoyancy and slaps your gawking face, leaving a sting like it was coated in acid... and disappears. Oh, you get it now. These are magic bullets.

"Dinner Time."

You look back, and the... meatoid? The meatoid has gotten alarmingly close. It slowly opens its  
gaping maw, leaning forward... You step back quickly, and its jaws close on air.

"You... want us to have dinner?" you say optimistically.

"Food Can't Talk Dummy," it repeats. More meat rains down, but at a slower rate; you dodge the attack easily.

"Need Protein," the meatoid says again. The way it's gnashing its teeth and looking at you, it's almost as if...

A terrible thought flits through your head. "You... want to eat _me_?" you say, eyes widening in horror. You desperately hope you're wrong, but the meatoid just giggles. It rolls closer. It is grinning very widely.

If that's what it wants...

You swallow. In a shaking voice, you say, "If I give you a little bit, will you let me go?" The meatoid just giggles and opens its mouth, slowly.

You take a small step back and, hesitantly, extend your left arm. "H-Here..." Oh God. Are you really doing this? It makes you feel sick, but what other option do you have? Kill it? You can't do that. You just hope Flowey or Asgore can regenerate fingers. Or hands.

The meatoid lunges forward at the last moment and bites down on your entire arm. You scream and instinctively jerk back, but the meatoid pulls away too, and _tears your arm from your shoulder–_

Oh God. Oh God. You're on the floor. You don't know when you collapsed. You're screaming. Your shoulder is hot and wet. You can't feel your arm. It hurts. Over your screams, you can hear the meatoid chewing noisily on your lost limb, wet squelches punctuated by ear-splitting cracks as it crunches the bone underneath.

You glance at your wound and immediately want to throw up. Cartilage and fat is spilling out of your gaping socket, and a fountain of blood is spurting absurdly, in time with your pounding heart.

You stare at the ceiling, shuddering. The pain and nausea is giving way to a warm lightheadedness. You're bleeding out again. You're going to die.

Before everything fades out, you hear the meatoid spitting up your flesh and screeching something about human meat being disgusting. You're not sure whether to be relieved or offended.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You wake up in the archway again. This time, you run into the next room and don't look back.

This one is a long, nondescript hallway. No traps or anything – but a lot of monsters. There are at least four giant frog monsters hopping around. You walk through, steps ringing uncomfortably loud on the hard floor, and the froggits turn to you. You feel a rush of adrenaline.

You clear your throat and say, "Hello?" The froggits continue to stare, but now they look like they're expecting something. You're a bit unsure of what to say next. "You look lovely today?" you try. Compliments are always good icebreakers, right?

The froggits don't seem to agree. Their eyes narrow and, as one, they let out a furious bellow so loud you fear it'll bring down the entire cave on your heads. Suddenly shining bugs are swarming all around you – magic bullets that leave a biting sting. You start running, but the swarm follows you, getting thicker and thicker.

"I'm sorry!" you yell. The closest froggit leaps into the air with one kick of its powerful legs. It lands on... you, hard. Your face slams painfully into the rock and you're pinned down as the gnats bite and bite and bite and...

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You decide you're going to have to avoid them. This time, you stick to the shadows, sidling along the walls and masking your footsteps carefully. Your cheeks burn with embarrassment – you feel so selfish, so weak, but it _hurts_ when you die. You know they must have their reasons. If you can just figure out how to talk to them you're certain you can work it out. But... not now. Not while it still hurts so much.

You're almost to the exit when a voice snaps you out of your thoughts. "Hey, I've got a funny story." Your head snaps towards the source, but the froggit's looking away from you. The four are talking amongst themselves. "It's about Asgore."

You stop. Do they know something about Asgore you don't? Even if it's dangerous, you should stick around for this.

"I know he came through here just now," one of the others says. "He looked pretty steamed. Did you wreck the training dummy again?"

"You bet!" the froggit says mischievously, ribitting. "I really outdid myself this time! I even roped in some migosps. We completely wrecked the thing! It was unsalvageable. A true work of art, I tell you." It beams with pride before continuing. "Oh, but here's the best part: Asgore saw me right after! And when he did, he..." The other froggits gasp theatrically, and lean in closer. "...Well, he did try to kill me, I'll give him credit for that! But you could tell it was all flash and no fire. When I hopped away he was so mad, but all he did was say – get this – 'Those things aren't cheap, you know!'"

The cavern shakes with loud, warbling laughter. "Oh, classic Asgore! He really expects us to care? What an idiot!"

"He's _still_ covering the replacements? Yeah, no way is the kingdom going bankrupt – he's just making excuses!"

"God, he's so spineless! It's practically a crime not to take advantage!" They all laugh again.

Huh. That's all they give you, though; they quickly move on to other more mundane topics, and you slip away.

The next room is a small T-junction; you turn to enter the left room, but find the entrance blocked off. "Beware of spiders" is plastered on the front. You knock on the door and look around for a hidden switch, but find nothing. You hope the spiders inside are okay.

You take a deep breath and continue on. You had hoped to find something to eat by now in case you got hurt again, but there's no helping it. The cavern narrows up ahead – perfect for an ambush. You advance slowly and scan the dark walls for movement.

You reach the narrowest point. The ground here is thick with dust.

You think you see something move up ahead. You freeze, preparing for a fight. Your heart is pounding so hard you can feel your neck throbbing with every pulse. You try to quiet your breath, but it sounds like a cacophony in the still darkness.

You stand there for several moments.

Nothing happens.

Hesitantly, you take another step.

Nothing happens.

You whip around in case something's snuck up on you.

From the other end of the room, Flowey grins awkwardly at you, and disappears into the earth. Nothing else happens.

You're confused, but you allow yourself to relax a little. You cautiously advance to the next room without incident.

This room – oh, you remember this room! Asgore wouldn't let you touch anything, but there was a big wedge of cheese on a table next to a mouse hole. You were filled with determination at the possibility of the mouse scaling the table to get the cheese. What a great adventure that would be! If the mouse could do it, surely you could do anything too! You stride towards the table to get a closer look–

–and promptly recoil in horror. The mouse made it to the cheese, alright – but no further. The corpse is still, sprawled out next to the wedge, face twisted in agony. The cheese is untouched except for one tiny nibble.

Poison! You clutch your mouth and feel bile rise in your throat. Who would do such a horrible thing? Even if the mouse was hurting people, surely there was a better way...!

It takes a few minutes to regain your composure. You want to do something for the mouse, like... a burial or something, but it's not like you can dig through stone. It doesn't feel right to just leave it there, but you continue onwards, trying not to look back.

It shouldn't have to be like this. You'll talk with whoever did this, and you'll make it better. The injustice of this mouse-trap... it fills you with **determination**.

You keep moving, for the mouse's sake.

...Another room. This one is a lot like that first big room; a wide stream divides it in half, with a platform of spikes bridging the gap. This one has been reset, you notice; the spikes are back. Asgore solved this one just by pushing rocks onto pressure plates, and there seems to be an identical setup on this side.

The rocks are pretty light, and you're able to move them without incident. The spikes retract. You step onto the bridge, gingerly; this feels too simple. You watch the room carefully for any sudden movement.

As it turns out, you should have been looking below you. Without warning the spikes rocket up from the bridge and tear through your legs. Blood sprays everywhere. With the last dregs of your screaming consciousness you twist around, and see that one of the rocks has moved off the switch. It is laughing.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You stare hard at the rock. It doesn't move an inch. You stare at the others. They don't move either. You stare back at the rock, and poke it. Nothing happens.

Eventually, you decide to talk to it. "I know you're up to something," you say.

"What's the password?" it responds immediately in a deep voice. You jump back a bit, but you've seen – well, heard – stranger things before. You don't know any password, though. Asgore didn't have to say anything.

"Uhhh... 'monsters rule'?"

"No."

It doesn't respond to anything after that. You huff and move to the bridge. Well, the spikes _are_ down... You make a show of approaching the bridge gingerly, then suddenly sprint across, leaping at the finish. You hear the rock sputter and the _shing_ of the spikes, but you make it to the other side safely.

You continue to a room full of unstable ground. Asgore walked in a strange, winding route and managed to cross safely. You wonder what happens if you deviate from that. You march straight across, and promptly fall through the floor. You look down, searching for some kind of hint to the proper path and... oh.

There is no hint down here.

There are _spikes_.

 ** _SHRRKK_**

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

Well, at least now you know that getting a spike through the brain is less painful than spikes through the legs.

This time, you dutifully replicate Asgore's path and make it across safely. You're starting to think it might be a better idea to just ask him how he knows the puzzle answers than to try finding them yourself.

The next room is just an even more boring version of the rock pushing puzzle: there's just one this time. Honestly, you're starting to feel a little affronted. When this place isn't killing you horrifically, it's agonizingly boring. Is this really supposed to be a puzzle? You sigh. Maybe it makes more sense to monsters.

Goodness, though, the rock is heavy. All this running around must have tired you out more than you thought. You push it halfway to the switch, then lie against it, panting. This isn't so bad. Just a quick rest in this nice, quiet cave...

"INTRUDER ALERT!"

The shrill voice jolts you out of your reverie. You look up, and see a fairy-like creature zooming over the spike barrier towards you. It has thin dragonfly wings and a small, wispy body, but it's decked out in full plate armor and a wicked-looking spear. How does it fly with all that?

Instead of an answer, you get a spear through the shoulder. You yelp and scamper away. The blade was tiny, but it went deep. You're dripping blood.

"Hey, I don't want to fight!" you say desperately, holding up your hands. "I'm sure this is a misunderstanding, let's just –"

But the whimsun just yells "INTRUDER!" again, zipping towards you with blinding speed. You try to run, but promptly smack into a glowing wall of magic that wasn't there a moment ago. You turn around, and find you're completely boxed in by a ring of whirling white butterflies. The spear bites into your back and you fall over. The whimsun is moving too fast to see.

"Please!" you gasp, tears in your eyes. "We don't have to do this! What do you want? I'll do anything–!"

The whimsun just stabs you again, in the chest this time. You choke and clutch your bleeding body as the monster flits about.

"Why...?" you sob, your vision blurring. "Why are you doing this?"

The whimsun slows down, and hovers directly above you, raising its spear with finality. "For the kingdom!" it bellows in its tiny voice. "For the brotherhood! For all monsterkind! All humans must die!"

The spear comes down. You see it grow closer and closer before it finally drives itself through your eye.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

This time, you rest in the shadow of the archway. After a bit of waiting, you see the whimsun – at least, you hope it's the same one – fly past you and deeper into the Ruins. It doesn't even turn to look at you. When you're certain it's gone, you push the rock again. It's still heavy, but this time you make it across without any encounters. (You jump across the retracted spikes just in case, but they don't reset – these must be normal rocks.)

Finally, you make it to the place you most wanted to see. The next room is bisected by a tall chain link fence.

You tap your fingers on the metal. How did the monsters make this, and for what purpose? Everything else has been stone. This is the first time you've seen something significantly different about the Ruins.

Well, regardless, it's not going to stop you. Asgore simply opened the gate; obviously, you don't have the key, but there are other ways across. The fence only reaches about halfway to the cavern ceiling; you should be able to climb over. But when you ascend, the gate shaking noisily, you notice another roadblock: the fence is topped with barbed wire.

You chew your lip, contemplating your options. You've heard stories of people hopping barbed wire before – if you throw yourself just right, you won't get snagged. You've never been very acrobatic, but you're pretty light, and the wire doesn't extend that far.

You go for it. There's a brief moment of terror and exultation as your body sails through the air, but you're over the other side...!

You scream as you lurch to a stop and your hand erupts in pain. You look, and see it's been caught in the barbs. Your skin is stretched and puckered like a rubber sheet – you never knew it could stretch that far. Sticky blood runs uncomfortably down your arm as you dangle, but you stay in place. You expected your skin to tear, but you suppose the wire is designed to...

...Oh. Oh no. There's only one way out of this, isn't there.

Biting down on your sweater to muffle your scream, you tear your hand loose from the barbs with a sickeningly wet _rip_. You hit the ground hard, but it barely registers compared to the burning agony in your hand.

But... okay, that wasn't too bad of a fall. Nothing's broken this time. You can still explore if you just...

"INTRUDER ALERT!"

You groan.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You stare up at the gate, sighing. There were a _lot_ of them that time, and you didn't see any alcoves to hide in. Unless you can figure out how to pacify them, you're not getting any further. _Maybe_ you could make a break for it if you were in perfect shape, but you can't do that until you can figure out how to hop the fence safely, and you're not keen on learning that by trial and error. You rub your left hand gingerly.

Maybe if Flowey...

Speak of the devil! The flower shoots up in front of you, nearly giving you a heart attack. "Hey!" he chirps. "You wanna get through this gate?"

You narrow your eyes. The silence stretches out uncomfortably before you finally say, "...No." You still have no way to get past the whimsun, and you're not sure if you can trust him not to kill them.

He looks taken aback. "What? B-But you..." You wave your hand dismissively.

"I already passed this way with Asgore. There's nothing too interesting past this point." Mostly true – though there was one passage off of this room he didn't show you. But with your luck, it'd just be a nondescript dead end. You had hoped to make it all the way back to the start, but... you are pretty tired. And hungry. "I'm ready to go back."

Flowey looks a bit confused, but smiles. "If you say so! But if you ever need help, you can count on me, okay?" You nod, and he burrows away.

 **8**

The trip back is oddly uneventful – even the treacherous rock doesn't give you trouble. Flowey's doing, you presume. You really hope he didn't kill anyone.

But when you approach Home, you see that you have bigger problems: Asgore got back before you. He's stomping around the walkway and screaming into a cell phone: "...the whole city on lockdown! I want every monster accounted for! If anyone has taken the soul I swear to God I will call down the queen herself–!"

Suddenly he swivels on his feet and sees you gawking at him like an idiot. He freezes. His gaze sends a shiver down your spine: his eyes look like they're about to bulge out of their sockets, and you think he's going to crush the phone the way his muscles are tensing. His jaw hangs open, then he snaps it shut. "I, ah, forgive me, Warden, I... found them," he mutters lamely. Without taking his eyes off of you he shoves the phone in his pocket, and bounds over to you with unexpected speed.

Before you can even think about moving he grabs your forearm with a force that makes you wince – you suddenly realize he was being very gentle with you before. "How did you get out?!" he roars in your face, all trace of fatherly kindness gone from his voice. "Where have you been?!"

"I'm sorry!" you say, fighting to keep from hyperventilating.

"I warned you about this! I told you to stay in the house! You could have gotten hurt, you could have gotten..." He trails off and his gaze becomes distant, like he's looking through you. After a moment, his eyes focus again, his anger reduced to a faint smolder. He smiles, but it's obviously forced.

"...Ah, what am I saying? It all turned out alright, didn't it? You're here, now. That's all that matters." To your surprise and confusion, he hugs you – a bit tightly, but not with the crushing grip of before. "Forgive me, child, I was just so afraid something had happened to you!" At a loss for what to do, you hug him back, though it ends up as more of an awkward back-pat. He stands up again and takes your hand – gently but forcefully, like when he first led you through the Ruins. "Come. You must be tired." You're led back into the house, where he shuts the door behind you. Only then does his grip loosen.

"I trust you've found your room already, child?" he says, back against the door. He tries to disguise it under his deep voice, but you hear the unmistakable click of a latch. "Why don't you wait there? Your supper will be ready in just a moment." You have more you want to ask him, but he just strides off before you can say a word, shutting the parlor door in your face.

Well... you admit you are pretty tired. You should rest your legs at least. The bare, blood-red room still unsettles you when you open the door, but you sprawl out on the bed and do your best to relax.

After a few minutes, Asgore knocks against the door and lets himself in. His smile is ludicrously wide, and he carries a slice of pie on a place – comically tiny in his massive hands.

"Here you are, child!" he chirps. You wouldn't think such a deep voice could chirp, but there's no other way to describe the sheer elation in his voice. He sets the plate down on the room's lone table and motions you to come over. You take the fork and cut off a small piece. The pie splits open with a rich gooeyness, and steam wafts off it. You can't quite place the scent, though – it smells more savory than cinnamon or butterscotch.

Asgore sees you examining the pie suspiciously. "...I am sorry, but despite my best efforts, I could not find your favorite flavors in town," he says apologetically. "I had to make do with an old recipe I've used before. But I assure you, it is a delicacy!"

You spear the piece you've cut off and pop it in your mouth – and promptly start gagging. What the heck is this stuff? It doesn't taste like pie at all – the texture is lumpy and runny at the same time, like slime. You can't place the taste either, but it doesn't taste good. You're tempted to spit it up, but that would be rude – so you choke it down instead, constantly worried you'll vomit and ruin everything.

But you succeed! The weird taste still lingers in your mouth, but you smile up at Asgore politely. He's staring at you with an odd intensity. It occurs to you that he hasn't taken his eyes off of you since he entered the room. Those eyes now crinkle with genuine mirth – for the first time, you suddenly realize.

"Delicious, isn't it? Would you like some more?"

Your stomach lurches at the thought. You turn away and hope he didn't see the disgust in your expression. "No, I think I'm good," you say. You're still peckish, but you'd have to be a lot hungrier before this seemed appetizing.

He pats your head. "Wonderful!" He sounds so happy. "Now, you must be very tired, especially after your little escapade!" Your face turns red with embarrassment. "Why don't you lie down? You can finish this... later, perhaps."

He's right, though, you could use a rest. Now seems as good a time as any – you won't be ambushed by any monsters in here. You crawl into the bed – it's so large you feel like you're drowning in it, but it's also invitingly soft after the hard floors of the Ruins. Asgore tucks you in sweetly. Several minutes later, you hear him exit the room.

 **8**

You wake up groggily. It is very dark. You're being carried. You hear Asgore mutter something. His voice is deep and gravelly. There is a sound of locks being released and a mechanical grinding. Asgore walks forward, and it becomes even darker.

You're in the basement, you realize. A computer console glows in the darkness. Asgore taps a few buttons and something hisses. He turns, and you see what looks like a cylindrical glass container. Asgore takes off the lid. You stare for a moment, still trying to place what it is, when you see a glint in the corner of your eye and feel cold metal bite into your throat.

Suddenly awake, you choke and cough desperately, but you can't breathe. You feel like you're drowning. A thick, heavy fluid fills your mouth, nose, and lungs. You feel like you're being crushed. Like you're burning. You need air. You scream but all that comes out is a wet spray. It hurts. It hurts. _It hurts._

There is laughter; a rumbling, rolling laugh, like the movement of mountains. Asgore.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

This time, when you awaken in Asgore's arms, you shove yourself off and hit the ground running. He wasn't holding you very tightly, and you hear him sputter in shock for a few seconds before he starts chasing you.

"GET BACK HERE!" he roars. You feel a fireball slam into your back; more fly all around you, charring the walls and casting the basement into bright contrast. You can see now that this is like a laboratory: there are whirring machines and electronics all across the walls, most of them monitors displaying complex graphs you don't understand. Some of them have caught fire, and Asgore curses as he extinguishes the flames.

You keep running down the corridor as fast as your legs can take you. Asgore yells and you hear him bounding towards you, shaking the earth with every step. You feel heat on your back; you reach a sharp corner, and jump to the side just in time. You look back to see a massive sea of flame burning where you just stood. A horned shadow grows closer by the light of the flames – you keep running and barrel through a heavy set of double doors. The corridor narrows; there are no electronics here, and the stone is a different color. But it's so long you can't even see the end. You hear Asgore's stomps getting louder and louder, but if you can keep running –

Just as you think you're about to make it, the end of the corridor erupts into a wall of fire. You stumble to a stop, gasping and panting, but Asgore isn't about to give you a break. You feel something slash diagonally across your back, and you collapse in pain and exhaustion.

"God, you're a handful," Asgore growls as you try to catch your breath. His figure is cast into sharp relief by the garish light of the flames; a twisted snarl mars his face, his previous compassion completely gone. Blood – your blood – drips from a kitchen knife clutched in his hands. "Oh, just put this in the pie and they'll be out like a light!" he sings in badly cracked falsetto, flinging his arm out theatrically – flecks of blood jump from the knife. "Liar! She _knew_ the sedative wouldn't work! And cutting off the supply shipments – she's setting me up to fail! No, not just her – they're all against me!" Spittle flies from his mouth. You have no idea what he's talking about.

"Look, why don't we talk this ou–"

"SHUT UP AND DIE!" Asgore's eyes blaze with fury as he blasts you again – this time, you take the full brunt of the spell, and the force pushes you through the fire wall.

Oh, God – it felt like you were burning before, but now you're _literally_ burning. Your sweater is only charred and smoldering, but you feel a creeping, throbbing agony over your whole body, and your arms are breaking out in bright red blisters. You try to get up, but it hurts too much. Asgore is above you, and silhouetted against the flames he looks like the specter of Death itself. He raises his hand to strike –

– and cries out as his arm is constricted by heavy, thorny vines.

"FRISK!"

You look around. Flowey has popped up next to you. A green light washes over you, and you feel your pain drifting away.

Flowey yelps suddenly, and when you look back to Asgore, you see he's lit the vines on fire. They slink away back under the earth. "YOU!" he shouts, pointing a massive finger at Flowey. "What are you doing, defending this human?! As your king, I command you to–!" Flowey trips him with another vine, and he falls flat on his stomach with a yelp. The knife clatters away into the darkness, and more vines emerge to pin him down.

"Frisk, run! I can't hold him for long!"

Calmly, you rise to your feet and dust yourself off. "No, I can't keep running from my problems. There's got to be a way we can work this out."

Flowey looks at you like he's about to say something, but he stays silent.

"Asgore." You try to say it loudly and confidently, but your voice comes out pretty squeaky. Asgore just stares at you in bafflement. "I promise I don't want to hurt anyone..."

You're startled when Asgore lets out a loud laugh. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that. In this world, it's kill or be killed. Every man for himself. Dog-eat-dog – as you'll see if you step out that door, heheh."

"But it doesn't have to be!" you say, loud and clear. "Asgore please, I promise I can help you –"

Asgore rolls his eyes. "If you really want to help me, then die. It's my job to deliver your soul to the queen."

You shake your head firmly. "No! Is that really the only reason you're doing this? Because it's your job?"

He looks at you like you've grown a second head. "No, I do it for the same reason everyone does everything: because if I don't I'll be killed." He says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"You can't give up that easily! What about what _you_ want?" Despite Flowey's protests, you step closer to him and extend your hand. "Asgore... I know there's a good person somewhere inside you! If you just stand up for yourself, I know you can be happy!"

He snorts. "You're adorable." Flowey cries out as Asgore snaps the vines holding him and jumps to his feet with surprising agility for an old man. You tense as he steps back and raises an arm.

"Frisk, we have to _go!_ " Asgore conjures a fireball, but it doesn't leave his hand – yet.

"Asgore!" you shout quickly. "Is this really what you want?!"

The fireball does not move. Asgore glances at Flowey, then at you. In his eyes is an expression of pure calculation.

No one speaks or moves, but your breath and heartbeat sound deafening. Asgore glances at the far door, then back at you. You wait so long you start to worry you've failed, that he's going to attack you any moment.

But you keep standing there for what feels like an eternity, and then finally, _finally_ , Asgore lowers his arm and lets the fire vanish.

"Actually..." His voice is quiet, contemplative. "...Perhaps you're right. This _isn't_ what I want."

You let out a nervous breath and – you can't help it, you're grinning like a maniac. You did it! You've saved him!

You reach out a hand, but Asgore steps back, into the narrow corridor. There's a smile on his face, but it doesn't look entirely happy. "Why should I run her errands for her? I was a fool to think she'd ever give me anything. No..." His face suddenly splits into a wide, toothy grin, and he clutches the handles of the double door. He begins to chuckle. "You're _her_ problem now. The last time a human made it past here... the Underground nearly went empty." His smile grows wider even as yours falters and dies. "I don't gain anything by killing you here... But if you keep going... maybe..."

You feel like you're staring into the face of a demon.

"If you can kill _her_... **TORIEL**... I will be king once more!"

He roars with laughter, and pulls the doors shut with an echoing clangor.

The sound fades out. The door does not reopen. You have a feeling you won't be coming back this way.

"Frisk? Are you okay?"

You stare down at the flower. He looks genuinely concerned. You sigh and pat his petals comfortingly.

"I'm okay. It's not what I expected, but... I think I did help him, at least a little."

Flowey smiles warmly at you. "Okay! So that's what you're gonna do? Help everyone?"

"Yeah. I meant what I said. I don't want anyone to get hurt. Don't kill, and don't be killed... you know?" Flowey makes a weird expression at that, but only for a second before he smiles again. You start walking towards the exit, and Flowey follows.

"Wait!" he says. "I, um... it's really scary down here, isn't it? A lot of these traps and monsters are really, really dangerous. I think... it'd be best if we stuck together."

You consider his offer. It's true, you wouldn't have survived that encounter with Asgore if it hadn't been for Flowey. Even if you can come back to life... dying _hurts_. Healing magic would definitely come in handy.

"And I... I'd like it if we could be friends," Flowey finishes, very quietly.

Well, you can't say no to that. You lean down and do you best to hug him. "Sure," you say. But as you release him, a nagging thought occurs to you. "But you can't hurt anyone."

"What?!" He gapes at you. "Wh-why would you think I would do such a horrible thing?" He looks genuinely horrified, and even... afraid? Guilt washes over you. Everything about this place has been so violent, but... maybe he really is different.

"Uh, s-sorry," you mutter. "Let's keep going."

"Yeah, let's!"

You walk across the dark cavern, your footsteps echoing while Flowey swims through the rock, and open the door to the rest of the Underground.


	2. Ice and Bone

The first thing you notice is the cold, an especial shock after nearly being burned alive. The air in the Ruins was stale, but temperate; here, it cuts through you like an angry ghost. It feels just like the winters you remember from the surface, bitter and unforgiving. You attempt to huddle into your sweater, now hopelessly torn and charred. There are still holes from where the loox pricked you, and the wind whips through the fabric and onto your skin. Your breath becomes a white mist.

But there's nothing for it. You move forward.

The snow crunches thickly under your shoes, but fortunately, there isn't much of it; it doesn't come up over your shoes. That's a relief; you're certain your feet would go numb if you got snow in your socks. Beside you, Flowey curls his petals inward a bit, but keeps moving.

The area ahead is far from pure white – it is a forest, with tall black trees rising far, far above. You can't see the tops before they fade into the darkness of the cavern. Most of them are too closely packed to move through, but there is a neat, clear path cutting straight through the middle. You take a step forward–

–and immediately move back, your head swiveling to a set of small, conspicuous bushes right next to the door. After a moment's hesitation, you stride purposefully towards them and push the branches aside.

Hiding under the growth is a security camera. It whirs quietly as the lens focuses on you.

"Oh geez!" Flowey exclaims, looking at the camera in abject horror. "They know we're here! So much for stealth...!"

"We'll be f-fine," you say, though the cold constricts your voice and rather undercuts your attempt at confidence. "They'd have found us eventually a-anyway." You march back to the path through the woods, and brace yourself against the wind. "We can still make it. There's always a way." Somehow, the cold isn't bothering you quite so much anymore. You feel a warmth flourishing from deep within you.

The path through the snowy forest, extending to an uncertain horizon... it fills you with **determination**.

You step forward carefully, not wanting to get snow in your shoes. The pillar-like trees seem to extend forever in all directions – you can't even see the end of the path. But you keep moving.

You suddenly feel something hard under your foot. You look down, and see – pawprints? The icy snow has been compressed into pawprints, like from a dog. Most are smaller than your foot. Some are not.

You feel a prickling on the back of your neck, and it's not from the cold. Carefully, you turn to look behind you. There's nothing there – wait, did you see something move? You stare into the dark woods. Some of the shorter plants shake and rustle a little. It could just be the wind. But it probably isn't.

"Flowey, is something following us?"

"I, um, I don't know," he says nervously, looking between you, the pawprints, and the surrounding forest. "I was looking in the same direction as you. Should I look behind too?"

"Maybe," you say, chewing your lip. "Let's just keep going for now."

There's still no end in sight. You pass a large fallen branch and edge around it carefully. The feeling of being watched intensifies, and the cold seeps into you again. You're shivering. Eventually, you think you can see a structure in the distance...

...and you stop.

"What's wrong?" Flowey says quickly, his body completely tense.

"Shh," you say absently. You pause, and listen.

All you can hear is the wind, and your own heavy breathing.

You whip around and start walking back the way you came.

"Frisk, what are you doing?"

You move quickly. The wind is at your back, so it's easier. When you've found what you're looking for, you kneel down and examine it.

The branch is still intact. It looks completely untouched, in fact.

"What's going on? Is the branch important?"

After a moment, you slowly shake your head. "N-No, I just had a f-feeling... never mind."

You think you hear something rustling. Flowey hears it too; he just about jumps out of his skin. Wordlessly, and carefully, you both advance forward.

The structure you saw from before turns out to be a gate, anchored on the sides of a small pit. A bridge passes through it. Fortunately, this doesn't look nearly as sophisticated as that barbed-wire gate in the Ruins; in fact, you don't see any lock on the door at all –

You hear snow crunch behind you, and you whip around.

You see a dog.

You gawk and blink like a moron, incoherent noises sputtering from your mouth. What is a _dog_ doing here? It looks like an ordinary surface dog – maybe about your size if you lay down on all fours, and with a shaggy grey-white coat that blends in with the snow. You laugh, and you hear Flowey laugh too – you were expecting a terrifying guard monster, not a cute dog!

The dog doesn't seem to appreciate this. Its eyes are wide, and it draws its lips back in a snarl. Do all dogs have teeth that big? It's okay, though. It's probably just scared. You know all dogs want is play and pettings.

"It's okay!" you say, smiling cheerfully. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Do you want to play? Or do you want to be pet? Here..." You reach forward carefully. The dog is still tense, but it's not growling, so it should be okay. You reach closer.

In a flash of movement, it snaps forward and bites your hand. Even over your scream you can hear bones crack as the dog bites through your flesh. Flowey screams too, but the dog bats him aside effortlessly, and in the same movement, rips your hand off completely. Mist billows from the wound like smoke. You're in too much shock to resist when the dog pounces on top of you, heavy claws piercing through your flesh as if it were paper, and then its fangs are at your throat.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You're back at the start of the path. You shudder.

"Frisk, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Flowey is trembling too. You reach down and pat his head reassuringly.

"I'm fine. Let's try that again." You breathe deeply, ignoring the prickling cold in your lungs, and sprint forward. You were too cautious last time. You gave it time to sneak up on you. If you can get across quick enough maybe it won't –

The trees erupt into a cacophony of barks moments before a white blur rockets out of the trees and tackles you into the cold snow. You feel like railroad spikes have been driven into your legs and stomach. Flowey screams. This time the dog's grin is manic, its tongue lolling and slobbering, but once again its bite is sharp and swift.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You cringe and touch your neck self-consciously. "Of course," you mutter. "Should've known. Dogs go crazy when anything moves fast."

Flowey moves closer to you. "Frisk, what are we gonna do?"

You stare into the snowy woods. Somewhere out there the dog is lying in wait for you... but the first time, it didn't approach until you reached the bridge. Maybe you were wrong, and it was being careful that saved you.

"Flowey, can you keep an eye out and tell me if you see the dog?"

"Uh..." You hear dirt shifting under him as he looks around. "Maybe? Flowers aren't so great at peripheral vision, and I can't tunnel backwards."

A thought occurs to you. "Do you have to be in dirt all the time?"

"Huh?" He stares at you and seems to consider it. "No, but it's hard to move if I'm uprooted. What do you have in mind...?"

You crouch down and extend a hand towards him. "What if I carried you? If you sat on my head or shoulder you could keep an eye out for us."

He smiles at that. "Oh... okay! Yeah, that sounds good! I bet it's warmer in that sweater than in this snow anyway." Carefully, he lifts his roots out of the earth – they're surprisingly tiny – and uses them to crawl up your arm like an octopus. He settles in the tear in your sweater's shoulder. (Your skin crawls a little at the sensation of his wormlike roots and the dirt that scatters through your clothes like mites, but you keep your composure.) "Woah, I can see everything from up here! Okay, let's go!"

You advance quickly but carefully, a measured edge to your steps. Flowey occasionally jumps at a rustle or a flash of furry white in the trees, but the dog does not attack. It's not much time at all before you reach the gap and the gate. When you look at it more closely, it's more like it's just... a door. The frame is crooked and warped and topped with wicked spikes, but the gate appears to be plain metal with a large doorknob.

"Frisk, it's here!" Flowey hisses. You know he's right without needing to turn around; you can feel a presence at your back, heavy and dangerous. Your heart begins to pound but you force your movements steady as you reach for the doorknob – it's high up but you can still grasp and turn it...

The door opens without resistance. You're only stunned for an instant before a sharp growling draws you back to your senses. You leap through the gate, desperation mounting – you already learned you can't outrun it. You hear it launch itself from the ground. You have to do something else, and fast –

A flash of desperate inspiration strikes. You stop, turn around, and, hoping against hope, slam the door in the dog's face. The wood smacks heavily into flesh, and you keep pushing with a strength you didn't know you had, slamming the frame with the volume of a gunshot. Over your frenzied breathing you listen to the dog as its yelps turn to whines and finally pitiful, ineffectual scrabbling. It can't get through. Flowey lets out a nervous, relieved laugh, and you allow yourself a few mirthless giggles too.

You've stumbled to the other side of the bridge and are just starting to calm down when the dog switches to ear-splitting barks. You clamp your hands over your ears, but it still feels like your skull is shattering with every yip.

"Everyone in the forest is going to hear that!" Flowey yells. "We have to hide, quick!" You nod dumbly and rush forward, teeth chattering. The path widens here. You look around desperately for an object to hide behind, but there's nothing but featureless white snow...

"The guard station's unoccupied! Try that!" Oh, that's true – you hadn't even thought of that. A rickety hut of a guard station stands off to the side. Quickly, you leap over the counter and crouch down – it's just big enough to hide you from the outside. Dog musk assaults your nose and cold air still pricks your skin, but you take some relief in the fact you're sheltered from the wind.

Over the barking, you suddenly hear the hurried clomp of boots through snow. Your breath hitches and you will yourself to stop shivering, to be as frozen as you feel. Something smacks against the gate and –

"Oh get over yourself! Stop that racket or we'll leave you to rot!"

Something about the voice makes you nervous. It's deep and raspy, laced with a predatory growl. The dog on the other side lowers its voice to a pitiful whine, and you hear it scratch weakly at the door. The sound is quickly drowned out by something barrelling through the woods – you brace yourself for another attack, certain you've been found, but the things' footsteps never reach you.

"Hey, what's going on?" shouts a voice that sound almost identical to the first. "Is the human here?"

"Obviously not," the first voice shoots back immediately. "Maybe we could have caught it before it escaped if you weren't so LAZY."

"It's not MY fault the alarm came when I was napping–!"

"Shut up and focus!" More stomping through the snow – they're dangerously close to your hideout now. "I've been waiting too long for you to ruin this now! If you're just going to stand around, get Alphys on the line! We need to know where the human is!"

Footsteps stomp closer as the other voice grumbles something. You close your eyes and try to think warm thoughts. Don't make a sound, don't make a sound...

Fortunately, the monster seems more interested in monologuing than searching for you. "Remember, I will be captain of the royal guard! While Undyne hides under her rock, _I_ will deliver the key to our salvation! The queen will give me all I desire! I will be Undyne's usurper – and soon after, her executioner!"

"Oh, sure. And what's in it for me, Dogessa?"

"What?!"

The word is out of your mouth before you can stop it. Immediately, you clamp your hands over your mouth, but it's too late. You can feel the tension in the air as the dogs suddenly fall silent.

"Did you hear that, Dogamy?"

"No, I was too busy messing with the stupid phone _like you asked_."

You hear snuffling.

Nothing for it now. Carefully, you rise to your feet and peek over the counter. Two huge, bipedal dogs are there, about the size of adult humans. Their fur is the same gray-white as the dog earlier, but only their snouts are visible under their heavy black cloaks. Or, no, not just any cloaks – you realize suddenly that they are executioner's robes.

Dogessa's nose twitches, and her head swivels towards you. She grins, wicked canines sprouting along her wide muzzle.

You vault over the counter just in time to dodge an axe that appears out of nowhere. The wood splinters under the blow as you hit the ground in an awkward roll, hissing as the frigid snow soaks into your clothes.

"Run!" Flowey screams, his roots strangling your arm like a vice.

"No, that won't solve anything," you say, scrambling to your feet. You doubt you could, anyway – the dogs are blocking the way forward, marching in lockstep to form an impenetrable wall of malevolence. "There's got to be another way..."

The dogs attack in perfect unison – but they opt for a slow, overhead strike that gives you time to jump back. You land in a roll, but the snow is thick and icy. Not enough sticks to you.

"Mmff – pbtt – Frisk, stop –" Oh, whoops, you smooshed Flowey into the ground when you did that. You try to mumble an apology but your teeth are chattering too badly to speak. He disentangles himself just as you roll away from another axe blow. When you look up, Dogamy and Dogessa are on either side, already raising their weapons again. They're trying to pen you in, you realize.

Desperately, you claw at the ground, frozen fingers screaming in agony as you churn up icy snow before finally hitting cold, hard earth. You smack a handful onto your head, whimpering at the cold, before doing your best dog impression and rolling in the freed snow. Please be enough, please be enough...

The next blow never comes. For a moment you worry that the cold has just numbed you too much to feel the wound, but when you cautiously open your eyes you just see the dogs standing above you in puzzlement. They look around, and sniff the air suspiciously.

"Haha, s-s-seeee?" you manage, rising on trembling legs. You wipe leaking snot from your nose absently. "I w-w-was playing a, a j-j-j-joke o-on y-y-you...!" It's so cold.

Dogamy tackles you to the ground and you yelp. His claws punch through the weave of your sweater like there's nothing there, and his muggy breath feels searing as he jams his slimy nose into your face and chest, snuffling loudly. You feel Dogessa doing the same. "Where did the weird smell go?" she growls. "This smells like..."

You smile desperately. "L-Like a pup, r-right?"

You expect them to let you go, but Dogamy's eyes fill with a deep, inscrutable anger. His ears fold back and his lips pull back even more than before, pink gums shining at the ends of his great sharp teeth. His claws press deeper. You can barely understand him when he speaks, his voice overflowing with a guttural, primal hatred:

"Not _our_ pup."

There is the flash of fangs, and then the bitter taste of blood.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"I don't understand," you say, but your voice is drowned out by barking.

"Frisk! Hide!" Flowey says sharply. You nod and move mechanically to the guard station, heaving your leaden body over the counter. It's not as cold here. (It's still so cold.)

The dogs burst onto the scene again. This time you will yourself to be still and silent.

"...I will be Undyne's usurper – and soon after, her executioner!"

"Oh, sure. And what's in it for me, Dogessa?"

There must be some way to save them. There always is.

The smack of flesh on flesh. "If you show even a smidgen of usefulness maybe I won't tear your _worthless hide_ apart, that's what's in it for you you lazy pup!"

A duet of low, threatening growls.

You were too hasty. You weren't thinking. Of course these dogs would be different from the ones you're used to.

"HELLO HELLO SNOWDIN CANINE UNIT PLEASE COME IN?" A feminine voice, fast and high-pitched, but clipped. It sounds staticy – must be coming from the phone. The growls subside immediately.

"Officer Alphys!" one of the dogs – it's hard to tell their voices apart – says. They talk swiftly and formally, a departure from the sneering drawl of before. "Alpha unit here! The Ruins guard found the human, but they escaped through the secondary gate! Can you locate them?"

There is a pause. When Alphys speaks again, her voice is chilly. "Oh sure, I'll just consult my carefully-constructed network of cameras we built with our extremely limited resources OH WAIT I CAN'T because you SABOTAGED THEM ALL."

The dog lets out a faint whimper. "N-Not _all_ of them..."

"Is that supposed to p-pacify me?" Alphys is talking so fast you can barely make out the words, her voice turning into a tinny whine over the speaker. "You've left gaping holes in our security system we won't be able to patch for God knows how long. The human could be anywhere from here to..." The tirade cuts off abruptly, and after a moment you hear a slow, heavy sigh that the phone degrades into a mess of noise. "Actually, no. You know what? I'm not telling you where the next camera is. You've lost that privilege. But I'll send an alert out to _everyone_ if I see the human, so why don't you two get your heads on straight, do your jobs, and STOP WASTING MY TIME."

The phone click is so loud it makes you wince.

"You heard her, then." Your breath hitches – the voice is much closer than you expected. How did they move so quietly? "We gotta get moving."

" _I_ will, Dogamy. If you try to take point you'll trip over your own feet. Stay here and sweep the area, make sure they haven't snuck by. That should be easy enough even for you."

"Of course." Dogamy's voice is oddly slow and casual. Dogessa snorts something and you hear her patter away, but Dogamy still remains. You hear him move slowly back and forth, snow crunching.

"Frisk, what do we do now?" Flowey hisses into your ear. This does look pretty bad, you have to admit. Even if you could outrun Dogamy, you'd just run smack into Dogessa. You need some way to make them leave you alone. Disguising your scent didn't work... what else do dogs do? Maybe if you... punched them... just a little? The thought makes you sick, but maybe they'll respect a show of force?

"Human." The gutteral voice freezes your thoughts. You can hear the grin in the words. "Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"

"RUN!" Flowey shrieks. This time, you don't have to be told twice. You jump over the station counter and smack straight into Dogamy, who cackles madly.

"I guess you do!"

The curve of his axe glints in the dusky light. As you scramble to your feet the blade digs into your flesh and your body erupts into fiery pain. You try to tell yourself you're not in real danger, you can die here and try again, you _have_ to try again, there _is_ a way through this, you just have to try harder.

But it _hurts_.

Your blood is already cooling in the frigid air and the ice seeps into your body like nails driven under your skin as the executioner raises the blade again and you're _afraid_.

You run. You don't think about where you're running, you just _run_ , just _get them away from me_ –

You smack into a pillar of hard stone. You clutch your head, dazed from the impact. Was that there before? You're pretty sure it wasn't there before. Yeah, it's right in the middle of the path, that seems strange. So do the other, identical pillars that are now shooting up from the earth on either side of it. Funny, it almost looks like a fence...

Something grabs you from behind and you scream. The executioner cackles. "Aw, running off to Essa, little human? I can't have her stealing the credit, now!"

"Frisk, I'm going to–" The axe cuts into your side and then you can't hear the rest of what Flowey was trying to say over the pain and your strangled screams. You feel a heaviness in your side, dragging you down until you're lying on the snow. The cold makes it hurt less and more at the same time. Your throat feels thick. You cough, and red flecks stain the snow. Distantly, you hear Dogamy screaming gibberish, but it won't matter soon. You'll have to try again...

The stone spears suddenly explode into powder, and Dogessa bursts from the cloud with a roar. Initially you think she's aiming for you, but she doesn't even spare you a glance and she sails past.

"You _dare_ steal _my_ kill?!"

Dogamy yelps. The world gains a green tint, and your head clears a bit. "Get up, Frisk! This is our chance!"

Your whole body cries out in protest, but you force yourself to stand. You look back, and see the two dogs thrashing on the snow in a maelstrom of teeth and claws; the only intelligible thing you can hear is alternating shouts of "Mine!"

"Are they going t-to kill each other?" you ask.

"Not our problem! Just _go_!"

"But... but..." You want to say more, but you're interrupted by a violent shiver that makes pain shoot out from your wounds again. You clutch your side and wince. It hurts...

Flowey sighs. "Yeah, yeah, you got a hero complex, I know, but sometimes you gotta..." He pauses. Your feet turn to move, but you can't take your eyes off of the fight. "Look, they're not gonna kill each other. Probably. It's like, just for show, I think. Dogs do that all the time, right?"

You admit defeat. You couldn't help them before, and things are even worse now. You can try again when you're safe and warm and can think better. There'll be a chance later. There has to be.

It fills you with **determination**.

You wheel around and sprint through the snow.

"What – you idiot, it's getting away–!" The dogs' voices fade as you run forward, puffing out white like a steam engine. A path branches off to your left, but you don't spare it a second glance before charging straight ahead. The path narrows ahead, hemmed in by those eerie black trees. Two more guard stations appear on your left – you briefly consider hiding again, but they already found you once. Best to get as much distance as possible while you...

"Who's there?!"

...can.

" _Don't move,_ " Flowey hisses in your ear.

The shrill, ragged voice belongs to another dog who steps out from a rickety guard station. Like the couple, he stands upright, but he's dressed more lightly; he wears light chainmail and oddly casual shorts. His head is fully exposed, though his fur becomes a stark black around the top, making it look like he's wearing a mask. Or an executioner's hood...

He's drawn two daggers too, you notice as he swings them around aimlessly. You try your hardest not to flinch. His head moves erratically like a bird's, his eyes darting everywhere.

"I saw you!" he croaks. He looks incredibly tense. "I saw something move! You can't hide from m-me! One of you t-t-took my dog t-t-treats, I know you did!" He whips his head around again. Your heart is hammering so hard you can hear the blood rushing in your ears, but that's just making it harder to keep still. You feel your fingers twitching. "G-Give them back, y-you hear?! I need them! You know I need them! I c-can't live sober, trapped in the muh, middle of you schemers...!" You see a fleck of froth at the corner of his mouth.

The dog pauses, and distantly, you think you hear feet crunching through snow. You're running out of time. You fight to keep your breathing even... and as the adrenaline wears off, the cold hits you like a sledgehammer. Your breath hitches.

"So you're not gonna talk, huh..." the dog continues, his horribly dilated eyes focusing on nothing at all. "That's it! Whatever's moving... I'll make sure you never move again!" Your skin is ice.

Your teeth chatter, suddenly. You're shivering.

You're _shivering_.

You barely have time to think _Oh, crap_ before the dog yelps and the dagger swings across your throat. You choke on that awful drowning sensation again as the blood fills your lungs and it's so cold, it's so, so cold...

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

This time, you do investigate the stations. They're better-stocked than the one before, in that they _have_ stocks. The first is disorganized, but sparse; a hurried rummage turns up some bedding, a bag of dry dog food, the remains of a smashed security camera, and some disturbingly detailed depictions of Dogessa getting murdered etched on the back wall.

There's not much you can do with this. You briefly consider using the dog food to distract them, but your numb fingers just topple the heavy bag when you try to grab it, spilling pellets over the already-messy floor. You hiss in pain; even the lightest touches feel like sandpaper against your fingers. You try rubbing your hands together for warmth, but it doesn't seem to do much good. Your breath still comes out in a shuddering mist. You can't go much longer like this; if the dogs don't kill you, hypothermia will. Why is it so _cold?_ The air here feels like – like it's trying to suck the life out of you. It's never been like this before. You bury your head in your hands and it's _so cold_.

"Frisk, stop spacing out! We don't have much time."

Right. Right. You've gotta stop feeling sorry for yourself. A little cold isn't going to beat you. You have to keep moving.

It fills you with **determination.**

The wind strikes you like a whip when you jump outside, and doesn't really let up even when you hop into the neighboring station. You power through it.

This station is much more organized, though there are even more scrawlings. The walls are filled with self-aggrandizing slogans and bad drawings of Dogessa in full plate armor stomping on various people. It almost looks heroic, until you see that her victims are all small and crying.

There's a groan from the floor. You whip around, and what you assumed to be a pile of discarded clothes shakily rises to its feet. It's a dog, short and ragged, clutching its side and missing an eye. No, that's not all it's missing – pieces of its face are sloughing off to the floor even as you watch, leaving trails of dust.

It's dying, you realize.

"Doggoooo..." it slurs. "You here to... fffinish me offf...?"

"No!" you scream, but it's too late. The dog lunges for you. You close your eyes and brace yourself –

– and your heart falls into your stomach as you hear the unmistakable noise of a monster turning to dust.

"Frisk, it's okay. It's gone now. You can open your eyes."

In front of you is an empty, crumpled cloak. Silvery white dust spills out at the base. You feel sick. You're breathing heavily and oh God what if you're _breathing in the dust_. You want to throw up.

"Frisk! Frisk! Calm down, there's nothing you could have done. They were too far gone already."

You nod numbly.

"Frisk, please, we have to keep moving. They'll catch up..."

You look outside into the bitter snow, and shudder. You can't feel your fingers.

You look down again. The cloak...

"Yes, good idea!" Flowey says as you tentatively reach down. "It's a little morbid, but we can't be picky here! C'mon, put it on, I'm cold too!"

You shake out the last of the dust, trying not to think about what you're doing, and pull it over yourself. You're practically swimming in the thing – you're not sure if you'll be able to run in it – but it's so much better than your threadbare sweater. You hide your hands in the sleeves and sigh in contentment as the feeling returns to your hands. Absently, you wipe away some snot accumulating on your upper lip. Much better.

Your reverie is interrupted by the uncomfortable sensation of Flowey readjusting himself on your shoulder. His stiff, cold petals brush against your face. "Haha, lucky! I thought I was gonna freeze out there!"

You wince at the prickle of blood flowing back into your extremities. "Someone died. That's not lucky." You can't help but let bitterness into your voice. You feel bad. "Next time we die, we'll fix this."

Flowey coughs awkwardly. "Uh, right. Of course."

You sit there for a moment, rubbing feeling back into your limbs. " _Can_ you freeze to death?" you ask, quietly.

Flowey pauses before answering. When he does, his voice is distant. "I'm... pretty sure. I tried... testing it one time. I went into the Snowdin woods and kept going until I was frozen stiff. Just to see how far I could get."

There is an awkward silence. "And then you... died?" And that was probably the most awkward way to break it. You kick yourself.

"No, actually," Flowey says without missing a beat. "I expected to, but he picked me up and took me back home... hah, he must have gone really far out..."

"He?"

Flowey blinks and looks at you with momentary confusion. "Oh. Uh. Skeleton guard guy. His name's Papyrus. He's... nice. You should meet him." Flowey glances outside warily. "We... should have already run into him, actually. I wonder where he is."

A shadow passes over the shed entrance and you flatten yourself against the ground. You hear that horrible snuffling. The dogs. They've caught up. You took too long, you thought it was safe here, stupid stupid stupid, and now you're going to die _again_ just when you finally –

The shadow passes. You open your eyes carefully, as if even that movement will give you away. Then you hear shouting, but it's far off.

You feel your cloak shuffling. "They're gone," Flowey hisses. "Let's move, now!"

You don't have to be told twice. The path is empty when you leap out (but the wind is still a knife). You run forward, and hide behind a tree when Doggo's station comes into vision. Carefully, you inch out to see Dogamy and Dogessa circling a distressed Doggo.

"...So here's the plan," Dogessa says. "I want you to head back the way we came. Make sure to go on a wide circuit – cover every inch of forest, do you understand? They were small, so they could be hiding anywhere." Doggo tries to say something, but stops when Dogessa reaches into a pocket. "And here's what's in it for you."

You can't see what she holds up to him, but he recoils like it's a crucifix. "No!" Doggo yelps. "I quit, Dogessa, I'm clean now, y-y-you can't m-make me..."

"Oh, yeah, you 'quit'," Dogamy sneers. "So you let Undyne find your treat stash on _purpose_ , then? Shameful little Doggo, keeping them where even children could find them..."

"It's not my fault!" Doggo whimpers. "You all take them too, I know you do! It's the o-only way to deal with all this crap...!"

"Oh, it sure is." Dogessa grins. "And unlike you, we know how to hide them. Be a good boy and we'll show you how to not get caught like a dumb pup, alright?"

At that, Doggo _howls_ , a raw, furious scream, and lunges straight for Dogessa. She blocks the blow with her forearm, dust spilling out, then grabs Doggo's hand with her other arm and twists the blade out of his grip. She kicks him towards Dogamy, who grabs his head from behind and gouges his claws into his eyes.

"Don't cry, Doggo!" Dogamy laughs over the screaming. "It's not like you could use them anyway!"

They turn to look at you, and you realize _you're_ screaming.

"What's wrong?" Dogessa asks. "This a friend of yours?"

"Stop it!" you blubber lamely. It happened so fast, you couldn't, you couldn't... "Please, please stop fighting!" Why are they fighting each _other?_ Aren't _you_ the one they want?

"Nah," Dogamy says, and twists Doggo's head with a sickening snap. He's dust before his body hits the ground.

You scream again and try to run, but something grabs your arm. "We just keep running into stupid pups today," Dogessa growls. "We'll let you off with a warning this time, but remember this, newbie: don't tell us what to do."

This is your fault. There's only one way to fix this.

"I'm the human."

Dogessa looks momentarily shocked, then rips back your hood and jams her disgusting snout into your face again. "Hahaha! I don't think it's lying! It only smells like dog because of the cloak!" You screw your eyes shut, and hear _"Remember to get the soul –"_ before you feel the axe split through your skull.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You clutch your head. You can hear the dogs arguing. Then this is right before...

"Hey!" you yell, stepping out from your hiding spot. Doggo leaps back and looks around wildly.

"Who's there?!"

"Frisk, are you insane?! Get out of there!" Flowey hisses.

"I, I have something to report!" you say quickly. "I saw... um... I saw the human..."

You stand there, stupidly, out in the open, in front of three deadly dog monsters. You're almost worried they'll see through this and you're going to die again, but Dogessa just barks, "Yeah? Well where is it?"

"Back... near the gate! It's hiding in the woods!" you manage. If you can make them go back you can keep going forward.

"Are you sure?" Dogamy narrows his eyes. "We were just there."

"If it got into the woods it could be anywhere," Dogessa sighs. "Doggo, you search for it. Report to us _immediately_ if you – snrk – see anything."

Doggo sputters. "B-but I'm supposed to stay on guard –"

"That's an order!" Dogessa snaps, and Doggo runs off with a yelp.

"So have you finally lost the last of those marbles, Essa?" Dogamy drawls when he's out of earshot. "Sending Doggo on a _search_? He'll never find them."

"Shut up." Dogessa walks up to you with startling speed and starts snuffling you. "Hmph. I don't recognize you. New recruit?"

"Yes?" you squeak. That was terrible. You wish you could be less scared.

Dogessa snorts. "Weird voice, too. Whatever, I don't care. You did well to tell us about this, pup. Most idiots would try bagging the human themselves."

"Yes," Dogamy says. "Very... generous of you." Suspicion tinges his voice.

"Oh, well, uh." You babble quickly to buy time. "I... thought it might be dangerous."

"Oh, yeah." Dogessa grins, perfectly displaying all her teeth. "Anyone told you what happened the last time a human got this far?"

"The Underground nearly went empty," you say, repeating Asgore's chilling words. You're moving now. Dogessa grips your shoulder, cutting off escape.

"Oh, yes." You can feel Dogessa's breath, even through the cloak. "They're terrible, violent things. Dogamy and I just fought the human, you know. We barely escaped with our lives."

"No thanks to _you_ ," Dogamy mutters. He catches something in Dogessa's eye, then coughs. "But oh, yes, terrible. Definitely leave all the fighting to us." He doesn't even try to sound convincing. Dogessa's grip tightens and she growls in frustration.

"Run for it! We need to reach the town!" Flowey whispers while she's distracted.

"Hey. So. Uh. Since it's so dangerous and all." They've turned their attention to you again, all predatory eyes and sharp faces. You swallow. You're sweating despite the cold.

Focus.

"Maybe we should go back to... town? For... reinforcements?"

"Good idea!" Dogessa booms suddenly, making you flinch. "The human will have to come through there eventually. Actually, we should tell all the guards to fall back, concentrate our forces at the choke point. Doesn't that sound like a sound tactical decision, Dogamy?!" She whips her head towards him, the question obviously pointed.

"What?" he says. "No, that's stupid. The human's still out here, we should– _yip!_ " He cries out as Dogessa smacks him in the head and drags him off by the ear. There's frenzied whispering you can't catch, then he comes back. "I mean, _yes_ , obviously Dogessa's tactical decisions are totally plausible and without fault, for she is the greatest guard of all time." Behind him, Dogessa preens smugly. "You, newbie, should go on ahead with the others. We'll catch up."

They shuffle into the woods. You overhear a muffled, "I'm going to _kill_ you –" and then you lose them among the darkness.

That is, until you see them turn back to look at you. Shining white eyes in a forest of black.

"I'll admit, that was pretty clever," Flowey says from your shoulder. "But we should really get going now."

You shudder. He's right. You can't lose this progress. Keep moving forward. Move. Survive.

 **Determination.**

It's slow going. This is the harsh, cold snow frozen over the night after a fun, powdery snowfall, all slippery crusts and broken holes. The cloak helps against the wind, but your sneakers are still woefully inadequate. The pain in your toes has changed to a dull throb, and you're not sure if that's a good thing.

Your attention is drawn to a bluff on your left. In the clear air you can see out across it for what seems like miles, even in the dimness. You take a few steps forward and reach out, but it's just covered in the same snow as always.

"Empty," you mutter to yourself.

"Huh," Flowey says. "There's usually someone here. I wonder..."

Your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of something stomping through the snow behind you. You turn to see a dog in plate mail with a large, shaggy face. "What are you doing?" they bark. "Snowdin's under attack!"

You blink. "What?"

"Don't you know anything? The human's there!"

"Oh no, that's terrible!" you say with conviction.

"Yeah, the others are gonna hog all the glory for themselves!" Their ears pull back as they bare their teeth. "You better not get in my way, idiot!"

They run off and you follow as fast as you can. Ah – it was only a dull throb when you were going slow. Now your feet feel like they're being crushed in a vice with every step. You feel tears forming from the pain and the cold, but you're not going to give up now. Keep moving...

You lurch to a sudden stop as your eye catches a bush overlooking a large, empty plain. Quickly, you stride over and push the branches aside...

An intact camera.

Ahead of you, the dog's radio starts buzzing.

"OHMYGODIT'SRIGHTBEHINDYOU" the radio screams. Your legs tense, but you hesitate. The dog's blocking the only way forward. You don't think you can outrun them. You'll have to rewind and avoid the camera somehow, but... but...

"Come again?"

But it _hurts_. You can still feel the axe cutting through your skull – and this one doesn't even have weapons. They'll tear you apart.

"The h-h-human! It's not in Snowdin! It's behind you, in the, the cloak!"

You're scared. It's stupid, but... you don't want to die.

"Nah."

The dog's voice. You open your eyes, unbelieving.

"Ya think I can't smell, brainiac? This is the best nose in the force! I'd know a human before you could catch a whiff of one!" You inch forward, carefully. Your heart skips a beat when the guard turns to you, but they only sniff the air theatrically and grin. "Yeah, see? Smells like dog to me!"

"Are you _blind_ – no, of course you are! It's using the cloak to mask the scent, you idiot! I-I'm your superior officer, you have to do what I say! And I say KILL THAT THING!"

"Ooh, pulling rank! You mad, girl?" The guard continues moving, and you follow. "Oh, I see it now – you're tryin' to turn us against each other while your favorite gets the kill! Thinning the pack!"

"As if you don't do enough of that _yourselves_ – ARGGGH!" You hear something getting thrown on the other end. "You stupid, _stupid_ dogs! You're _useless!_ I'm calling Undyne!"

The radio clicks off, and the guard howls with laughter, slapping your back heartily. "Can you believe that? That pen-pusher's always been slimy! Turning us against our own kind!" They lean in, breath hot against your face, voice suddenly cold: "But seriously, get in my way and I will end you."

They break away without another word. You pull your hood tighter, and follow.

 **8**

You see nothing of note on the road. Only white snow and black trees, as far as the eye can see. And dogs, of course, but no one else. How can a place be so _empty?_ Where are all the people?

Here, you suppose: Snowdin. The town is a forbidding fortress, walls so bleak you don't know where the stone ends and the snow begins. It sits on a high, flat hilltop, overlooking the equally forbidding forest below. A drawbridge – a _drawbridge_ – lowers when you approach. The last human must have done something truly terrible to make them so afraid.

But even as forbidding as it is, it is civilization. You won't be out in the cruel, blank wilderness anymore. There will be people to see, things to learn.

 **Determination.**

An air of fear smothers the town as you enter. Monsters scurry into dim, bleak houses as the dog guards march in. Some watch with shifty and suspicious eyes from the windows; others simply close their blinds and bar their doors. A brave few remain in the icy streets, but are pushed aside by the incoming dog stampede.

"Where's the human?!" they snap. "Show us the human!"

"There's a human?!"

You slink away into a side street as the argument breaks out. The town center erupts into chaos as the inhabitants erupt into fighting and bickering over where the human could be. A few stand off to the side, eating something with self-satisfied expressions.

"Now's our chance, Frisk," Flowey says. "Follow the road through the town. It'll take us to the next area. Now, while they're distracted!"

"Wait," you whisper. "There's something I want to check first."

"Like _what?!_ " Flowey shrieks. "We don't have _time!_ This disguise won't work forever! I don't want you to –" He stops suddenly, and you can see him curling away from you.

"I'll be alright," you assure him. "I just want to check around a little."

Flowey turns back to you, his face carefully blank. "...Okay. Okay, if that's what you want to do."

You carefully move back into the main town, past the tavern, Grillby's, where the dogs are still arguing. "I want to find Papyrus."

"The guy I told you about? Uh... I'm not sure that's a good idea..."

"Maybe he'll help us. Or we can convince him to help us. It's worth a shot. Worst case scenario, I'll just rewind."

"I guess so." You keep a look out, but none of the dogs seem to notice you. Flowey continues, "They should be... That is, their house is... at the edge of town. Normally, anyway..." You keep walking, past a building marked "LIBRARY", and then...

You hear it before you see it. The noise sounds like something from the bowels of Hell: dogs barking, snarling, whimpering, a cacophony of sound that assaults your ears like they're being stripped away. The wind blows towards you, and you're assaulted by a hot, doggy musk, filthy and unkempt.

It must be a doghouse. That's what you tell yourself. But it looks like a prison. A barbed-wire fence surrounds a harsh building of stone and steel, heavy bars across all the doors and windows. Occasionally, you see a flash of a muzzle or paw.

"Haha! You like the academy, too?"

You whip around. A small, yellow lizard with a huge head is grinning at you. They're wearing a striped sweater not unlike your own, but they're swimming in it. They have no arms that you can see, and they're swaying slightly to keep their balance.

"It's so cool!" they continue before you can come up with a response. "What was it like in there? Do you have any fighting stories? Ooh, ooh, how many did you have to kill before they let you on the force?"

You can't help it; you gasp. You know it's a mistake as soon as you see the monster child's expression change. They were lost in daydreams before, but now their cold, reptilian eyes are looking at you with laser focus.

"Heeey..." the kid says suspiciously. You try to look away to hide your face. "You don't look doggy. You're not trying to..." Their voice takes on a breathy excitement. "... _spy_ on us, are you?"

This time, you keep your face carefully neutral. "Why would I do that?" you inquire.

"Wellll..." The kid bounces on the balls of their feet. "You could be working for... Undyne! She's the captain of the royal guard and she's soooo coool!" You can see the stars in their eyes. You let yourself give into a slight smile. "She kills all the dumb monsters who don't know their place!" Your face falls. "She checks in on us sometimes – oh not _personally_ of course but – if she hears anyone's not doing their jobs right"–their eyes take on a wicked, horrible gleam–"she'll _crush them to dust_ , right in front of the whole capital! It's _awesome!_ "

You try to walk away. You only get a few steps before the kid jumps ahead of you. The wicked gleam is still there. "Unless you're someone else... like..." They pause dramatically. "... _the human!_ "

"No! No, I'm definitely not the human," you say quickly.

"Ooh! So there is a human!" The kid giggles maniacally. "Oh man oh man I've never seen one before I can't wait to see what they're gonna do with it I hear they can't even die right like instead of dust they're all wet and goopy inside –"

"Shouldn't you be inside?" You try to muster your most intimidating voice. It doesn't sound very convincing to you. "Undyne would be very cross if you were bothering... uh, obstructing an... officer in their, uh, duties. Wouldn't she?"

The kid rolls their eyes theatrically. "Alright fiiiine. But when I kill Undyne and become captain, you'll have to do what _I_ say! Hahaha!"

They scamper off, leaving you dumbstruck.

"But... I thought they said they _liked_ her..." you mumble to no one in particular.

Flowey pops up next to your face. "Yeah, things are weird here, haven't you noticed? Anyway, Pap isn't here so let's –"

"Keep looking, right."

You move back towards the town, and Flowey makes a strangled noise of protest. "But... but... we're at the edge of town here! We should run to Waterfall before they cut us off!"

"I want to keep looking," you say firmly. "Are you sure he isn't in this... academy... thing?"

"No... no, his house is completely different. Frisk –"

"Then maybe he moved. Or maybe there's other clues in town. I just want to make sure."

Flowey makes a halfhearted protest, then sighs indignantly. "Alright, alright, you're the boss," he mutters. "But don't blame me if this ends in you dying horribly."

The dogs are still arguing by Grillby's in the center of town. You slip into the perfectly-labeled "LIBRARY". Unlike everything else here, it looks downright inviting; the windows are bright and the door is smooth, polished wood, with none of the heavy locks or barbs you've seen everywhere else. A few patrons look up at you darkly when you enter, and you understand why when you close the door: the walls are soundproof. Blessed silence washes over the place when the door closes; you didn't realize how awful the noise was outside. This place is like a bastion of peace and quiet.

Your reverie is interrupted by the librarian tapping a sign on their desk. In this place, the sound rings like a bell. It reads:

NO NOISE

NO FOOD

DOGS, WE'RE LOOKING AT YOU

The last notice has been underlined several times.

You nod politely and slink away into the aisles. You can feel the librarian's gaze boring into your back.

Up close, the books seem... strangely disappointing. They are dull, heavy tomes on management, politics, and warfare. You eventually find a few battered novels under a sign labeled "Human History". _The Walking Dead_... _Crossed_... Are these all zombie apocalypse comics? No, wait, you see a copy of _The Hunger Games_ at the bottom of the pile. You paw through the selection, but they're all the same: dark, oppressive stories about humans getting gruesomely slaughtered. You feel a strange mix of disgust and fascination as you flip through.

After a little while, you become conscious of the librarian's stare again. Time to move on. A reading table takes up most of the back section, several monsters clustered around it. You hope to pick up some scraps of conversation, but the only sound is the occasional turning of a page.

The silence, once welcome, is starting to feel oppressive. You swallow nervously and paw through some informational booklets.

 _Rules of Behavior: Use of Dust_ , the first one reads. You open it. _When monsters die, they turn to dust. It is customary for the killer to spread this dust on themselves. It is believed that this allows the killer to absorb the victim's power, but this is a myth. Under no circumstances should the dust be spread on an inanimate object, as this wastes the monsters' essence._

 _Patriotic citizens are encouraged to deliver dust from their victims to Alphys Labs in Hotland. Keep the kingdom strong. Do not ask questions._

You stare at the page, certain you missed something. You look it over again, but there's absolutely nothing about what to do when monsters die of natural causes. That's... odd.

You check another booklet: _Fighting Humans_.

 _While monsters are mostly made of magic, humans are mostly made of physical matter. Their bodies are harder, but they cannot recover from injury as easily as monsters. They can therefore be quickly incapacitated by targeting their organs and other critical points, illustrated on the following pages..._ You glance at the gory anatomical charts, and quickly think better of it. _...When injured, humans will excrete a red, watery substance. Do not be alarmed. This substance is harmless._

 _Human SOULs should be captured immediately. They are high-energy SOULs, and can escape if not contained. Keep your government-issued SOUL canisters on hand when fighting humans. You will be rewarded for successful delivery of SOULs to Alphys Labs in Hotland. A bonus will be granted for additional delivery of human bodily remains. Do not ask questions._

 _THEFT OF HUMAN SOULS IS FORBIDDEN ON PAIN OF DEATH. Keep the kingdom strong. Do not take the power for yourself. Queen Toriel will take the SOUL of any thief foolish enough to stand against her. Queen Toriel will save us all._

You glance back. The librarian is still staring daggers at you from behind the counter. This is starting to feel awkward. You could come back another time, maybe ditch the cloak somewhere...

Your thoughts are interrupted when something on the reading table catches your eye. You step closer, and your heart skips a beat.

There, right on the front page of the newspaper, is a picture of your face. It looks like it was taken from one of the security cameras.

They know. They know what you look like.

You freeze. You're breathing heavily. Very carefully, trying not to move your head, you look at the monsters around the table. Fortunately, they seem to be completely engrossed in their reading. But if they look up...

You move to the door, quickly. You can still feel the librarian's gaze on you, but if they knew, they would have called the guards already... right?

The noise, and the cold, hits you like a brick when you step outside. You take a few deep, prickling breaths, and then move back into the town. Flowey squeezes your arm, but does not say anything. The crowd outside Grillby's has dispersed, and the noise inside has simmered down to disconsolate grumbling. You make sure your hood covers your face, and step in.

The scent is overpowering. The air here is so thick you think you could carve out blocks. Unwashed dog musk assaults you. You take a moment to adjust after the icy cleanness of the air outside. Everything here is going to be a shock to your system, it seems like.

The patrons don't even seem to notice you come in. Most of the space is taken up by dogs, but two humanoid figures, one with the head of a horse and one with the head of a bird, are sitting by the counter. A sharply-dressed fire elemental cleans glasses dispassionately while the dogs argue.

"This is totally just a hoax! They're gonna come back and be all 'ha ha, you fell for it'...!"

"No, I keep telling you, this is a set-up! Do you see the alphas here, huh? The human is out _there_ , I'm sure of it! We should go back to the woods!"

"And disobey a direct order? They'll have our dust for that!"

"I wouldn't put it past 'em..."

"The doc's got cameras all through town, she _must_ –"

"Shut up _shut up_ I'm sick of you saying that! She said she's busy, you know what that means! I'm not getting vivisected 'cause you pissed her off!"

"I still say we should wait for the alphas..."

That just gets everyone shouting again. You use the commotion to slip through the crowd until you're at the bar.

"Ew, dog," the bird person says. "Make it go away, Grillbz."

"I, uh," you begin. "I have a – I was wondering –"

Something slams down on the counter next to you, making you jump. You quickly pull your hood down and look at the source of the noise. It's... a tin of dog treats?

Grillbz pushes it towards you, pointedly.

"N-no, I-I just had a question..." You cough awkwardly and keep going before they can respond. "Do you know a guy named Papyrus?"

"Nope," says the bird person. "One of your dog friends? Never mind, I don't care," they continue when you try to answer.

You turn to Grillbz, careful to keep your head low. "Uh, what about y–"

"Grillbz doesn't know either," says the bird person. "Nobody does. You all look the same to us anyway. Surely you have something better to do? Something that doesn't involve standing next to me?"

Defeated, you slump away. The bird person continues ranting. "I pay my taxes, and look what I get for it! Incompetent guards stomping around my hangout, asking me stupid questions! They're gonna take over, mark my words. The population's in freefall. The newspapers say everything's just peachy, but I've been to the capital, I've seen it! Like a ghost town! Meanwhile, the dogs just keep breeding their brains out and eating up everything we have. Soon they'll be the only ones left. Ain't that a sobering thought, Grillbz? Give me another..."

You move to the dogs' table. A few of the quieter ones are playing cards, but there is still an air of apprehension around them. Their ears are taut, and twitch at every loud noise. Every so often, they glance at the door.

"Where is Papyrus?" you ask in what you hope is an adequately dog-like voice. Your hood is pulled over your eyes, but you hear the dogs shift and snuffle.

"Who?" one asks.

"He's a skeleton," you clarify.

"Never seen one." The dog waves their paw dismissively. "Go bother the locals, they pay attention to that stuff."

"Already tried..." you mutter, and turn away.

"Hey, hey, hold it." A nearby dog grabs your shoulder roughly, and you feel them sniffing your back. "You smell weird. Where've you been?"

You freeze. "I, I, uh, I was uh –"

"– doing a perimeter check around the town," Flowey says loudly. The voice is a perfect replica of your own.

The dog doesn't let go, and others are twitching their noses at you now. "No, you don't smell like the town. You smell like... something... something..." Flowey pulls on your arm insistently. The dog isn't holding that tightly. You might have to shuck the cloak, but if you made a break for it, you could probably...

The doors to the pub burst open, banging loudly against the walls. The dogs immediately go silent, but you hear the bird person sighing dejectedly.

Dogamy and Dogessa step forward.

"What are you doing here?!" Dogessa roars. "The Waterfall gate is COMPLETELY unguarded! Do you intend to just LET THE HUMAN WALK THROUGH?!"

You expect the dogs to fight her, but, to a one, they bow their heads and whine, backing away piteously. They shiver like leaves in a tree. Dogessa, unimpressed, leaps forward and grips the largest table. She clearly intends to flip it, but a downward glance reveals that the legs are bolted to the floor. She snarls furiously and settles for sweeping the dogs' detritus off the table instead. Bottles smash against the wall and beer-stained cards flutter through the air like snow.

"IF I LOSE THIS –" She is simply screaming at maximum volume now. "– MY CHANCE TO GET WHAT _I DESERVE_ – BECAUSE OF YOU _STUPID MUTTS_ – I WILL KILL YOU SO MUCH THERE WON'T EVEN BE DUST–!"

The room becomes filled with static. Dogessa freezes.

"Attention! Attention!" Alphys' voice crackles from the radios. "Change of protocol! Do not, I repeat _do not_ make further attempts to kill the human! Your new orders are for live capture –" The broadcast keeps going, but you can't hear it over the argument that immediately erupts.

"Live capture? _Live capture?_ "

"After all that whining, she wants us to _stop_ killing it?!"

"They've _never_ captured humans alive before!"

"We're leaving. _Now_ ," Flowey hisses in your ear. You nod, and edge past the pandemonium.

"It's a trick! A set-up! That slimy pen-pusher is trying to put one over us!"

"That coward! She can't kill it herself, so she's making us do the work for her!"

You're almost to the door when something brings the dogs to silence.

"Let's kill it ourselves – she said the human's wearing our uniform, remember?!"

This time, there is no arguing – or if there is, you can't hear it over the sounds of fighting. The dogs turn on each other instantly, clawing and wrestling until their clothes are in shreds. The regular patrons shriek and scrabble for safety. You bolt for the door, eyes to the floor, hoping against hope that you'll make it.

Just as you pass the threshold, something pulls roughly on your cloak, choking you.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dogamy snarls. You look up at him, and your world is consumed by his terrible grin. With theatric gravitas, he tears your cloak from your back.

You're running before it hits the ground. Dogamy screams impotently, then his footsteps pound after you.

"He's too fast! We won't make it in time!" Flowey says.

"Slow him down, like what you did with Asgore!"

"How powerful do you think I am?! That took everything I – _duck!_ " Flowey pulls you roughly to the side, and you collapse into a snowbank as Dogamy leaps over you in a spray of dirt and rock. He lands on all fours, his lips drawn back like a rabid beast. His hood flops lopsidedly over his eyes.

You're at the edge of town now. The path rises and narrows, rivers rushing on either side. You can just barely make out a cavern on the other end of the path, but Dogamy blocks the way.

"That was a neat trick, human," Dogamy snarls. "Let's see you try it when you're–"

Suddenly, he freezes, and his ears perk up. Something behind you makes his face twist in frustration, and you feel the prickle of magic in the air.

"Move – !" Flowey screams, but you're too late. Jagged blades erupt from the earth. Droplets of blood spray out to speckle the ground as snow swirls up into the wind. "No no no – !" You try to look around, but you can't move. You can't feel anything below your neck. The dogs seem to have completely forgotten you; they are fighting over a container like the one Asgore had...

Once again your throat is full of blood, but this time you pass out before you drown.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"That was a neat trick, human."

No! This isn't far back enough! You must have panicked! This is bad. How are you going to solve this?!

" _Move!_ " Flowey says more insistently this time.

Of course. One step at a time, like always.

You take a leaping jump, and the stone spears erupt just behind you. In the time it takes you to right yourself, they crumble to dust, and Dogessa bursts through the wreckage.

" _You filthy cheat!_ " She's hard to understand now. Her voice is guttural with fury, a deep and constant growl pervading everything. She is crouched and snarling, just like Dogamy. " _The human is MINE!_ "

" _No! MINE!_ " Dogamy and Dogessa roar at the same time, and a seismic shockwave knocks you on your back. Dirt and snow spray everywhere. You scrabble to your feet quickly, but the Dogi seem to be more interested in each other than you. Rock flies everywhere as they claw at each other.

"They're distracted! Run!" Flowey squeezes your arm for emphasis. That's really getting annoying.

You take a hesitant step towards Waterfall, but you can't take your eyes off the fight. You think back to your first encounter. You ran then, too, but it didn't fix their problems. They're just fighting again. It looks like they really might...

"Friiiisk!" Flowey mews hysterically. "Why are you just standing there?! They'll kill you if you stay!"

A flash of silver. They've summoned their axes. Cloth rips and dust scatters.

"They're going to kill each other," you say, with terrible certainty.

" _WHO CARES?!_ " Flowey screams.

He takes your stunned silence as invitation to continue. "They're horrible! They're _evil_! This whole place is horrible and evil! They're just going to kill you! They'll hurt you and –" His voice cracks up with sobs. "– you'll die and die and die and I can't –"

You turn to him, purposefully, and grasp his tiny head in your fist, hard.

" _I_ care."

He doesn't say anything when you release him. He just stares at you with – fear? Shame? Both? – and trembles. His roots loosen, and he slides further down your arm. You stare at him for a while, silent even while the sound of the brawl continues behind you.

"Of – of course you do." Flowey's voice is quiet, but you can still hear it over the background noise. "I didn't mean... I'm sorry." You turn back to the Dogi, and step around them carefully. They're moving slower, now; they both look ragged. "But... doesn't it hurt? You said it hurts. Are you really going to be okay?"

"Hey! The human's getting away!" It's not the voice of a dog – only now do you see that a crowd of has gathered at the edge of town, gawking like the battle is some kind of show. The Dogi immediately look up from their battle and turn to you – and then to a dog guard who was trying to sneak past them. Before you can even move, a pillar of stone launches the guard off the land bridge and into the river below. They flail and splash ridiculously until they make it to shore – when you look back, you see the earth has risen like fenceposts in front of the crowd.

"No interference!" Dogessa shouts. She turns to Dogamy. "You're a fool, Dogamy! The human is using our rivalry against us! While we fight, it slips away from us!"

Dogamy doesn't take his eyes off of you. "Looks like it's just standing there, boss."

"Waiting for an opportunity to strike! We have underestimated it this whole time!"

You finally find your voice. "Hey, um..." You raise your arms, palm up. Flowey hangs stupidly on your wrist for a moment before slithering back to your shoulder. "Maybe we... don't have to fight?"

The two dogs bark a simultaneous laugh. "Are you threatening us, human?!"

"N-no, I –"

Dogessa sneers. "We do not fear you! Not even a human can stand up to our combined strength!"

Dogamy gasps, and finally breaks his gaze to look at Dogessa. "W-wait... you mean... you want to..." He gags, like the words are physically painful to say. "... _share credit?_ "

Dogessa's face wrinkles in disgust. "I do not like it either, but... we have no choice! This is a threat like no other! We must all make sacrifices for the kingdom!"

"And your promotion," Dogamy mutters. Dogessa shoves him, but not roughly.

"Enough talk! Die, human!"

You're getting better at sensing their magic now. You step to the right as the rocks are still rising from the ground, and their projectiles miss you completely.

"Ideas, Flowey?"

"Um I-I-I." Flowey hyperventilates as you narrowly dodge a stone spear. "I don't know! What you did before, rolling on the ground, that should have worked! This is all wrong I-I don't, I don't know!"

"Then I'll have to try talking, like with Asgore," you say calmly. "Can you hold them down like you did then? This'll be easier if I don't have to keep dodging–" The last flurry came too close for comfort, and you stumble for a moment.

"I told you, I can't!" Flowey screams hysterically. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to change your physical form?!" he babbles. "Asgore destroyed my vines, they're _gone!_ Maybe I could have regenerated them by now but it's so _cold_ here and I have to burn magic for _that_ just so I don't _die_ and I – I can't – I'm sorry!"

"Okay, okay!" God, that tinny voice is so annoying. You focus on the Dogi. There's a pause in their attacks, and they look like they're switching to a different stance. Their axes have disappeared. They hold hands, look to the roof, and howl.

You feel the power in your bones. Your teeth thrum with the buzz of magical energy, but you quickly realize there is a physical component as well. The ground beneath you vibrates. There is a deep, cavernous rumbling, and then...

A gigantic stalactite splits from the roof with a thunderous crack and falls straight for you. You can see it coming, though – the roof is so far away – and avoid it easily even as it crashes in an explosion of earth. But there's something else there, some glint, and you move back almost on instinct –

You hiss in pain as the blade cuts across your chest, drawing blood. The Dogi burst forth, grinning and laughing and dancing with effortless grace through the rubble. Their axes have grown to a colossal size, dwarfing you. They whirl, then swing the weapons in a chopping arc, slamming down with a force that shakes the earth. They miss, but the Dogi draw a second pair and bring them down as well. You're trapped. There's no way out.

You try to dodge anyway. It doesn't work. You scream as the blades pass through your body.

Then, as suddenly as they appeared, the axes are gone. Magic. Of course. Somehow, you're still alive, though you're bleeding badly. Determination... No, no, you need to heal this. You need food. Why don't you have any food? You rise to your feet, shakily. You're pretty sure you're only being held together by SOUL power now, but maybe that's all you need.

"That was a direct hit! Why isn't it dead?!"

"You were distracted! I could feel it! I'm always carrying the weight of this team!"

They're arguing again. You feel a faint buzz of magic, but it isn't targeted at you. Dogessa stumbles, breathing heavily, and the rubble around you dissolves into mud.

"Frisk, are you oka–"

"Flowey, what just happened?" you ask. That attack was stronger than anything they were capable of before.

"Combo attack," he answers. "They matched the wavelengths of their SOULs. It's a rare technique that amplifies magical power, but is difficult to perform. The subjects must perfectly synchronize their thoughts and feelings, so it is typicaly only used by..." He sounds like he's reading from a textbook, but his voice shakes. He trails off, and starts babbling again: "I'm sorry I didn't warn you I should have expected it but honestly I didn't think they could, you have to be completely in sync..."

"Combo attack..." you mutter. Dogamy extends a hand to Dogessa like he's trying to help her up, but she slaps it away and stands up on her own. They're angry again, just like they've always been. The only time they weren't was just now...

"Hey!" you shout. "Why do you fight each other?"

"We're not fighting each other," Dogessa says. "We're fighting you!" She lobs a rock at you for emphasis, but you dodge easily.

"To prove we're the best," Dogamy says lazily, and does the same. "Do you know just how many dogs are born each year, human? If we didn't cull so many, they'd overrun the kingdom like locusts."

"Stop talking to it."

"You saw those idiots in the tavern! And those are the _good_ ones! The ones who survived the preliminaries!" His face twists in an unfamiliar expression. There is a deep, deep anger there, darker than you've ever seen before, but something else too. Pain. "You don't get any free rides here. We must fight every second to prove our worth!"

"Shut up."

"That is the true meaning of the Underground! Kill, or be killed! There can be only one!"

"Will you SHUT UP AND FOCUS!" Dogessa snaps. "You're letting it get away! AGAIN!" She whips her head back to you. "You are trying to divide us, human! We will not hear your deceptions! Dogamy, attack!"

"But maybe you don't have to fight each other!"

"We exist to fight!" Dogessa roars. She flings shards at you, but her technique is sloppy, and you dodge easily.

"Is this really what you want? Look at you! You're exhausted!"

"I can hunt my prey for DAYS!" Dogessa cries, but again she can only manage a sloppy scatter shot. She lumbers forward, and you step back. "Dogamy, back me up!" Dogamy remains where he is, eyes shifting between you and Dogessa. His gaze is calculating.

"You care about each other! I know you do. You wouldn't have been able to do that combo attack otherwise." Dogessa hesitates for a split second, and in that moment you finally feel hope. You press your advantage. "You may think you hate each other, but if you just try I'm sure you'll see you have a lot in common! Please!"

Dogamy takes a step forward. Dogessa draws her axe. "Whatever. But we're going to kill you first."

You backpedal, and giggle with what you think is half nervousness and half delight. "You... you said 'we'! So... you're going to work together now, okay!"

"Yes, if that will shut you up! Dogamy, show this idiot what teamwork looks like!" She's still angry at you, but you swear you didn't imagine it, there's a glimmer of mirth in her eyes...

...which turns to shock in an instant. Her body is full of spikes. Dogamy is laughing.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" He is giggling hysterically.

"Wh... I..." Dogessa's body starts to crumble, just like her summoned earth. Her eyes bore into you with a hatred like none you've ever seen before, a hatred that freezes your heart. " _YOU!_ " she shrieks.

Dogamy brings his axe down on her again and again until she finally dissolves. He grabs and snaps at the dust like a child catching snowflakes, but most of it blows away on the wind until there's nothing left.

What just happened?

"I did it! I really did it!"

That can't have just happened.

"I'm the strongest!"

You tried so hard.

"Hahaha she really didn't see that coming oh my god! She must have really believed that crap! I never knew she was so soft!"

It all happened so fast. But no, that's not an excuse. You could have done something. You should have done something.

You step forward. You feel lightheaded.

"Frisk, o-okay, this is bad, but, I told you, you can't save everyone, please, you tried your best, I'm sorry, please, you have to keep going –"

Dogamy notices you, finally. He stops babbling, and in one clean swing, his axe takes your head off your shoulders. Flowey screams. You see your body, already soaked with blood, collapse bonelessly. Dogamy takes out a soul container and chatters about becoming a real guard or something and you don't care, it doesn't matter, this is a bad end, bad timeline, just erase it all...

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

Flowey doesn't even have to warn you. You dodge the spears with perfect grace. Practice makes perfect. If at first you don't succeed...

" _The human is MINE!_ "

" _No! MINE!_ "

They fight again. You watch them carefully this time.

So... Dogamy's the one who will kill in the end. He's the one you need to focus on. He seemed to be opening up to you before. You just need to probe a little more. There was something there, you're sure of it...

For now, though, you wait. Because...

"Hey! The human's getting away!"

The intruder is detected, expelled. The barrier is erected. Good. Less interference.

You try a slightly different opening gambit this time. "I won't fight you," you say, palms up. Even to you, it doesn't sound genuine. Your voice sounds dead, like you're just going through the motions – but you _aren't_ , you remind yourself, you're doing this because it's _right_ , because you _care_.

"Fine by me," Dogamy says with a smirk. Dogessa doesn't even say anything. You dodge her attack.

"Wait – please, just _listen to me_ –"

"We don't make deals with your kind!" Dogessa draws her axe and lunges. You roll to the side only to sense a spell from Dogamy. You leap up and back, but the attack manages to graze your foot.

"Why do you want to kill each so badly?" you say quickly.

"To prove we're the best." The spiel plays out exactly the same. Dogessa's attacks are easy to avoid; she's distracted. "...That is the true meaning of the Underground! Kill, or be killed!"

This time, you shout, "NO!" with such force that even Dogessa pauses in her assault. You continue breathlessly, "It's _not_ kill or be killed! You _can_ get along, I know it, you wouldn't have been able to do that combo attack otherwise!"

Both of them just leer at you. "What? We haven't done one in ages–" Dogamy starts.

"See? Nothing but a web of lies! Now shut up and kill it!" Dogessa snarls.

Crap. Crap, they didn't do that this time, did they? You can't even keep the timelines straight anymore. Stupid, stupid... Maybe it would be better to just reset...

"I, I, mean, you've done them before, you must have something in common, you..." You babble pathetically as you stumble through their renewed assault. "I _know_ you can be happy and get along, you can _love_ each other, you don't have to kill her, Dogamy!"

Dogessa freezes. Dogamy doesn't, and you're hit square in the face with a rock. "What is it talking about?" says Dogessa. Your head is ringing.

"H-Hey, don't listen to it, it's all lies, like you said!"

Dogessa turns so she can look at both you and Dogamy. She looks like she's calculating something.

"...Funny how quick you were to have my back in this fight," she says slowly. "The better to stab it later?"

"No! Never! You're the best soldier here, you totally deserve that promotion–"

"You're a terrible liar," Dogessa states with a terrifying sense of finality.

You can see where this is going. It's all your fault, again.

Well, this time, you're not just going to stand there gawking like an idiot.

"Hey, look, I'm getting away!" you scream, and run to the cavern mouth.

"Yeah, it's getting away!" Dogamy says quickly. "If it gets into Waterfall it'll be out of our jurisdiction–!"

Dogessa glances at the archway above you. Then she stomps the ground, and the earth splits with a deafening crack. A powerful shockwave sweeps you off your feet and smacks you into hard stone, and the world continues to shake and rumble as you stagger upright.

You see the road to Waterfall disintegrating, huge stones pried free by the earthquake to tumble into the river below. The Dogi grapple on a crumbling ridge before they too tumble over the edge, claws at each others' throats.

You failed, again. You don't understand why... why this is so difficult. Don't they want to be happy? If you just show them peace and love, they have to stop fighting. There's always a way. There's always a way...

A pebble hits you on the head, and you look up. The cavern mouth is coming apart from the earthquake. Your eyes trace the cracks as they web and weave through the rock. Let it happen. Let it come down and crush you to paste. Maybe it won't even hurt–

You're jolted out of your thoughts as something pulls you back with such force you're lifted off your feet, but you land surprisingly softly just in time to see the entrance collapse in an avalanche of stone. You look down, and the vine uncoils from your waist.

You turn around. Flowey is there, looking up at you nervously.

Neither of you say anything. You stand there, in silence, as the tremors subside.

To your dismay, the cavern roof holds.


	3. Rain and Light

Your fists clench.

"Why did you save me?!" you demand.

Flowey can't meet your eye. "Because I... I'm..." He shudders, and deflates pathetically. He looks so ugly in this light, with those pale, wilted petals. "I'm sorry..."

You turn away, and pace around the cave anxiously.

"I don't think it's too late," you say after a while. "I haven't made a new SAVE yet, I don't think. If you kill me, I can still go back."

"No."

The refusal is quiet. The silence that follows is quieter. You stop and turn to him. The look on your face must say enough. He squeaks, "Because I don't like this! I don't... I don't want you to die!"

You balk. "Have you lost your mind? I _can't_ die!"

"Yes, you can!" Flowey snaps. "You _come back_ but you still _die_ and it's horrible! How many times are you going to die for this, Frisk?"

"As many as it takes."

"Why?! Why are you hurting yourself for these horrible people?!"

"So I can teach them to be _not_ horrible! Anyone can be a good person, if they only try!" You start pacing again and force yourself to take deep breaths.

"I'm... really not so sure, Frisk. Can't you see it's not like–" Flowey stops suddenly. He murmurs the next part, but you're good at hearing: "...No, stupid, you don't even remember..."

You snap to attention immediately. "What was that?"

"Huh? Nothing, sorry, I–"

"Don't remember _what_ , Flowey?"

For a while, he just stares at you. There's a distant look to his face, like he's calculating something in his head. "Nothing," he finally repeats, harsh and clipped. "I think I had a... dream, or something. Probably wasn't even real. I shouldn't have brought it up." You open your mouth to protest, but he interrupts you: "Look, it doesn't matter! We're here now in this horrible place and all that matters is getting _out_."

"No," you say firmly. "What matters is doing this _right_. If I can save everyone, I have to do it."

Flowey doesn't meet your eye. "You can't save everyone."

" _No_. That's a lie. That's what bad people tell themselves so they don't have to try! There _is_ a way, I just haven't found it yet! If I have this power, isn't it my responsibility to–"

"You didn't save the dog." You freeze. "You know, the dog you _looted?_ You said you'd go back for them and you never did!"

You can't move. Your heart feels like it's in a vice. "You didn't go back for them. Because you were too busy saving their killers. In between being too busy getting torn apart..."

He trails off. You clutch your head. For a while, you can only hear the sound of your own breathing.

"Why didn't you tell me?" you say, eventually. It's through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry! I got wrapped up in it too! So much was going on and I was cold and _scared_ –"

"If you told me, I could have saved them!" you scream. "You – you _tricked_ me!"

"Wh-what–"

You jab an accusing finger at him, making him flinch. "Is this your game, Flowey? Pretend to be my friend so you can trick me into killing everyone?!"

"N-no, I–"

"That's what you really want, isn't it? That's what you've always wanted!"

"Frisk please–"

"You sick, _soulless freak!_ "

That shuts him up. He stops and stares at you. He opens his mouth a few times, but doesn't say anything. He looks like he's on the verge of tears. Doesn't matter. You're not falling for that again.

"I won't listen to you anymore," you say. "I can do this on my own." You march past with **determination**. Flowey is silent. The only sound is your footsteps as you walk down the path. Even the river has grown still, blocked by the collapse.

It's not long before you see another shape in the gloom: big and imposing, with huge, curved spikes sprouting from the shoulders. As the monster gets closer, you see that's actually armor. It clonks heavily with every step. An unadorned helmet completely covers his face. One of the royal guards, then.

He lurches to a stop as you approach. You stare at him, not entirely sure how to interact. Eventually, he draws a large steel sword – his hands are covered in scales, you notice.

"Human..." he grunts. His voice is deep and quiet, but you think you can detect a sense of uncertainty in it.

You raise your hands carefully. "I won't f–"

He brings his sword down with blinding speed, cleaving through your shoulder before lodging in your chest. Your words turn to a burbling scream as he _twists_ the huge blade with a sickening wet sound and slashes out to the side. Things plop and leak out of you with a burning pain that has become all too familiar. You're dead before you hit the ground.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"Where's your partner?" you ask this time. He only gives a grunt in response before striking again. You dodge, barely, and the sword cracks the ground where it falls. "Where's your partner?" you say again. He lifts his sword and swings at you sideways, but you duck. "Please, I don't want to fight you," you insist.

The guard says nothing. His hands shimmer for a moment, and star-shaped projectiles fly at you. You dance around them easily.

"Wouldn't you rather be somewhere else? Like with your partner?"

"Stop talking," he grunts irritably.

"Don't... don't guard people have partners?" He raises his blade again and you dodge out of the way –

– and right into his attack. A feint. "Finally," he huffs as the stone rushes up to meet you.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"Where's your partner?"

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"What happened to your partner?"

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"Guards do have partners... don't they?"

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"Where's your partner?"

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"Where's your partner?"

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"Where's your partner?"

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

It hurts.

 **8**

 **"...I refuse."**

 **8**

...You're getting nowhere. You must be approaching this the wrong way. You have to look for other options...

You're not going to hurt him, obviously. But there may be another way out of this. This time, you take a good look around the cavern as he approaches. It's actually quite wide, and though he's big, there's only one of him. He sees you, staggers to a halt the exact same awkward way as always. You weren't paying attention before, but it's clear from his body language that he's surprised to see you here. So...

Of course. Running away is a kind of mercy, isn't it?

You don't say a word, you just dive to the ground and roll between his feet. You're up and running before he's even drawn his sword.

You hear the rushing of a waterfall up ahead, and a wide stream appears before you, water tumbling off a cliff to your right. There doesn't appear to be any bridge, so you'll just have to wade across. You hiss as you plunge in up to your waist – you only just got out of the cold, and the hem of your sweater is soaking up water like a sponge. But thundering footsteps remind you you have to keep going. The water pushes at you violently for such a wide stream, but you keep your footing as you run. You reach the other side just as a loud splash alerts you that the royal guard is close behind. Your breath puffs in front of you and you resist the urge to shiver as you force your clammy legs forward, every movement making the air bite like locusts.

The area gets darker as you run – whatever light source is illuminating these caves, it's behind you now, making your shadow stretch further and further ahead. Grass sprouts ahead, so absurdly tall it practically dwarfs you, and you crash straight into it. When you hear footsteps approach, you drop to the ground to still the shaking blades.

The footsteps slow. You hear the grass part, then after a frustrated grunt, something heavy wooshes through the air. It wooshes again, and a third time, but the grass doesn't part further. Finally, there's a loud slam that sets the grass shivering.

"Woah–!" a familiar voice squeaks.

The guard makes a beeline for the noise. You raise your head carefully, and see the guard grasp the monster kid, lifting them out of the grass. You tense, but the guard doesn't hurt them. The kid grins madly.

"Oh wow! A real royal guard! Do you work for Undyne?!" The guard grunts something you can't hear, then the kid looks even more excited. "Ooh! Can I talk to her I have something REALLY important–!" The guard shakes the kid roughly and grumbles something. The kid's expression suddenly turns sour. " _Maaaybe_ , but I want to tell _Undyne!_ How do I know you're not gonna steal it from her, huh?!" There's an awkward pause as the kid stares defiantly at the stoic figure. Finally, the guard sighs loudly. You can practically feel the eye-roll as he stomps away, dragging the kid further into Waterfall.

You seem to have escaped notice, for the moment. You edge carefully out of the grass and peer at the retreating figures, but the kid doesn't seem to be in distress. You'll have to check on them later, but they seem okay for now.

Cautiously, you crane your neck to the left. A tall ledge overlooks this area. You hear distant footsteps, and edge back into the grass.

The footsteps stop. "Did something happen here? I heard shouting," says an unfamiliar voice from above.

"02 must've, like, come back. Do you think he, like, caught the human already? Maybe, like, it really did die in the collapse," another voice responds.

"Hah! That'd be anticlimactic, after all that fuss in Snowdin."

The second voice laughs uproariously. "You know those dogs are, like, useless, bro. Did you, like, _see_ the feed?"

"Yeah, but _they_ didn't!" More laughter. It dies down, and is filled with an awkward silence. For a while, there is only the distant sound of water. Eventually, there is a, "Hey, dude..."

"Like, yeah, bro?"

"Do you ever wonder if... they're looking at us, too?"

"Like, what? The dogs?"

"No. I mean..." You strain to hear. "... _her_."

There is a long pause.

"...Bro."

"...Dude."

"That's, like, creepy, bro."

"Yeah."

"I'm... like, I'm sure they, like, trust us. Like, it's in the job description, right? We're, like, the royal guard."

"Let's just go back to Undyne."

"Yeah, let's go back to _Captain_ Undyne, because we're, like, good guards who, like, do our jobs! Right! Like, _long live the queen!_ " A tremble of fear enters his voice. You hear hurried footsteps. You peek out from the grass, and confirm they're gone.

You retrace your steps back to the stream. You peer over the cliff – nothing there – then walk along the bank until you're at the base of the waterfall. You brace yourself, and plunge through the watery curtain. On the other side is a small cave, and –

– a guard. They jump and whip around at your approach. They're wearing the same armor as 02, but their head is unmistakably doggish. In their hand, they hold a half-eaten dog treat. Crumbs are scattered all over the place.

You blink. In that instant, the guard's expression turns to fury, and they lunge. The world spins and you're suddenly underwater, pinned by a massive weight. You flail and writhe to no avail, claws and teeth ripping at your flesh. You scream soundlessly into the red and the current washes you away.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

Ow.

You normally like to explore every nook and cranny, but this is starting to get discouraging.

You dive under 02, cross the stream, run into the grass, hide again. The other guards come, talk, leave again. This time, you follow the direction the monster kid was taken – which is what you should have done anyway, you think with a twinge of guilt.

 **Determination.**

You continue, quickly but cautiously. It's bright enough for you to see where you're going, but someone could jump out at you from any shadow. You're not being particularly stealthy, with your shoes squelching every step. Fortunately, you don't encounter any more guards... or any monsters at all, even. Your only obstacles are a few channels of water, which you cross easily with the help of some bridge flowers.

Before long, the cavern brightens. A plaque informs you this is the "Wishing Room". You look up. Stars dot the wide ceiling, gleaming and twinkling beautifully. You know they're only shiny rocks, but if you let yourself forget where you are, you could believe you were looking at the real night sky. And for a moment, you do just that. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, and let your stiff shoulders relax. The star-rocks stretch out across the roof, seemingly forever.

You find yourself whispering, "I wish..."

The march of heavy armor brings you back to reality. Your heart skips a beat, but you force yourself to stay calm. The noise is coming from the other end of the hall, and it's faint. You slip to the side and hide in the shadows.

For a while, there is just the sound of breathing. Then, a deep voice speaks.

"You really wanna know my wish, Queen Toothless? I'm sure you're still listening. You're always listening, no matter what we think." A pause. Heavy breathing. "That's all you ever do, isn't it? You hide up there by the outside, and you look down on us scurrying around in this prison while you dangle the key. _Well I don't care!_ " The voice spikes with such sudden ferocity that you jump. "This time, I'm the one who's a step ahead! I _will_ take the soul for myself and I _will_ do what you're too COWARDLY to even TRY _AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!_ " You feel the voice in your bones, now, and you hear armor squeak and shift – you can almost see the speaker raising her arms to shout at the heavens. "What do I wish for? For an end to your cowardice! For the vengeance you have denied us for so long! _For the power to take their souls!_ "

There is an excited squeal.

"Oh man it's really Undyne she's right here I can't believe I–"

"WHO DARES?!" Undyne snaps. Her heavy steps pound on the stone, but she stops suddenly. You think you can hear other voices, but they're quiet.

"Not here," Undyne says suddenly. There are more hushed tones, then footsteps...

"So cool...!"

...then silence.

You wait a moment before peeking back into the room. It seems empty, but you advance carefully. Your soggy footsteps echo softly as you walk through the long hall.

You come across a telescope. You look around to make sure this isn't a setup for an ambush, then peek into the eyepiece. It... doesn't seem to be unusual. It's just pointed at the star-things. You're about to leave when something pricks at your memory. You swivel the telescope around before finally forcing it down towards the ground. There, scratched onto the lens in black so it wouldn't be visible against the dark "sky", is a barely-visible message: "CHECK WALL".

You look up and your eyes dart around the cavern, but there's still no one here. You'd best move on; you feel exposed in this light. The hall branches to the left, and there's a large space beyond...

...Wait.

You look closely at the exit. It looks perfectly and smoothly hewn from the stone. There are no faults or creases in the stone at all.

Huh.

"Check wall"... check _what_ wall?

Your feet are already moving. Part of you protests that this is just going to get you killed again, but curiosity wins out. Back at the fork, there's a little alcove with no clear purpose. You run your fingers along the stone for any irregularities, but you soon see you needn't have bothered: a jagged hole glares obviously from one wall, like someone punched straight through the stone. Extending from it is a neat, mechanical line. You push, and the rock folds out like a door. You enter, descending down a dark, cramped stairwell that opens into another hall.

There was a fight here; scorch marks and fractured stone litter the ground. But the room is eerily silent now. It looks about the same size as the hall above, but instead of a roof of stars, strange, tubular holes fan out from the rock. Next to each one is the remains of a dry, shrivelled flower, a dark turquoise in color. All of them are in pieces, viciously uprooted and crushed. You touch one that looks mostly intact, but it just makes a low, sad sound, like air leaking from a balloon.

Strange. And creepy. But at least you didn't die this time. You hastily make your way back up the stairs, and close the door behind you as best you can before moving onwards.

The cavern beyond is a wide, open space, filled with the clean smell of water. The stone quickly drops off to be replaced by wooden platforms that remind you of docks. Dark, ornate plaques with bright blue writing cover the far wall. You read as you walk.

 _The War of Humans and Monsters._

 _Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human SOUL. But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its power allows it to persist outside of the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL... A terrible beast with unfathomable power._

You stop. You blink. You go back, and read again from the beginning.

"It's the same...?" you mutter before you can stop yourself.

You hear a noise and whip your head around. You catch a glimpse of Flowey several paces away before he vanishes from sight.

"Stop following me!" you shout after him. "It's..." A horrible thought flits across your brain that makes your voice freeze in your throat.

"Flowey," you say slowly. "Why haven't I seen any monsters here?" Silence. You grit your teeth. "You killed them, didn't you?!"

Flowey immediately pops out of the wall with a plaintive shriek. "What?! No! Wh-why would I do something like that?!" You narrow your eyes at him. "They're just not here, I swear! Th, there's a village up ahead a-and the royal guards told everyone to stay there, um, it looks like..."

"And why should I believe you?"

He flinches at that and retreats into himself, as much as a flower can. His petals curl inward to hide his face. He almost looks like he's crying. You roll your eyes and turn away.

"Stop following me," you repeat. "I can do this on my own."

"Please..."

You stop, against your better judgment.

"Frisk... I don't... I don't want to be a bad person. I remember doing bad things... really bad things. I also remember being a good person, but... maybe I just made that up. To make myself feel better. I don't know... I don't..." He goes quiet for a long time. "It's hard. Being a good person. But... you seem to know how to do it. I just thought if I could do what you want... but I'm so confused, and scared, and, and, I don't..."

"You killed people," you say. "You held me back." A pause. "If this whole 'not being evil' thing is too hard for you, I don't need you weighing me down. Just get out of my way." He doesn't respond. You continue without a backward glance.

 **Determination.**

The cave darkens again. You're light on your feet, ready to spring at a moment's notice. Large pillars appear on the banks, which could be hiding anything. You're so busy looking at them you walk straight into the monster kid.

"Oof!" They collapse onto the ground, their stubby legs flailing like a turtle's. You move to lift them up, but they right themselves surprisingly quickly. You start to apologize, but they cut you off with a cheerful "Hey!" and an excited grin. "I was wondering when you'd catch up! How's it going?"

You open and close your mouth a few times, but can't come up with a response. It's been a while since you talked to someone who wasn't trying to kill you, and you're not entirely sure what to say.

You settle on, "Um."

"Heh heh! I knew you weren't really a dog! You're a kid like me!" The kid does a happy little dance. "That was really cool of you, pretending to be a dog so you could slip right under their noses! Haha!"

"Um. Right." You think for a moment. "I'd like to get through here without any trouble, too."

"Of course! Of course! We don't want TROUBLE! Hahahaha!" The kid actually jumps for joy, giggling madly. "Don't worry! I know a shortcut! Just follow me!" They scutter off, and promptly trip on the boardwalk to fall flat on their face. Once again, they jump right back up and continue on like nothing happened.

You hear a faint metallic sound, and your head whips back to the pillars. The dim light glints off armor and the hint of orange hair, and then there are only shadows. You tense, expecting an attack, but nothing happens.

"Come onnnn!" You shrug, and follow.

The area ahead is so bright as to be almost blinding after the shadowy boardwalk. The area is bathed in an eerie crimson glow; as you continue, you see the water here is stained blood-red. The monster kid skips cheerily across the islands floating in the glow, undeterred, and you follow.

"I wonder where everyone is!" the kid chatters. "This place is supposed to be really popular! Everyone makes wishes here. Do you have a wish?"

"I wish everyone could be free."

Something about that seems very amusing to the kid. They giggle, and give you a smug I-know-something-you-don't look. "Wow, that's _so_ nice of you," they say, but with a faint whiff of sarcasm. "Wanna know my wish? To get Undyne's position – captain of the royal guard!" They stop suddenly, their manic grin suddenly frozen on their face. "Um. But you, uh. Probably shouldn't tell her that."

You murmur agreement as the cavern narrows back into solid stone. The way ahead is still bright, lit by glowing moss the same violent color. To the side is another plaque: _The power to take their SOULs. This is the power that the humans feared._

"Undyne is really cool, you know?" the kid says as you walk. "She can beat anyone! She killed the last human who came through here, did you know?" You pause to think of how to respond to that, but the kid continues undeterred. "I heard it was, like, TOTALLY EPIC! The human had something like magic but not magic and it was like BANG BANG and everybody died but Undyne didn't die and she was all RRAAAAGH NOW YOU'RE FULL OF SPEARS and the human totally died! And and and she took the soul to the queen and the queen was like 'wow you're so awesome' and that's how she got to be captain of the guard. She's, like, a hero!"

More plaques.

 _This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's SOUL. When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster. There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a "Boss Monster". A Boss Monster's SOUL is strong enough to persist after death... If only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened. And now it never will._

Your brow knits in confusion.

"Wow you're really interested in that story huh?!" the kid shouts suddenly, making you jump. "What's wrong? Didn't you learn it in school?" They give you a mischievous grin. "Well don't worry, because we only need one more soul! Humans used to be scary but we know how to kill them now! Undyne can kill _anyone_." Their grin is skull-splitting now. Their teeth are very large and very sharp.

You're eager to keep moving, but you jolt to a stop as a towering figure rises from the shadows in front of you. The kid just skips along without a care. "That's just Ms. Dreemurr's statue! Don't you know _anything?_ " they call back to you.

You look at the shape more closely. It _is_ a statue, a great looming figure of polished stone that radiates power and authority. The figure is a goat-person like Asgore, but with small, rounded horns. The expression is stoic but gentle, and the arms are spread outwards, palms up. She is dressed in an elaborate, many-layered robe. An inscription beneath reads: QUEEN TORIEL KNOWS BEST.

"Come on! Stop staring at boring stuff!" The kid nudges you roughly, urging you onward.

This time the cavern _truly_ opens; for the first time since Snowdin, you could believe you were outside the mountain. There is even rain – every drop smacks loudly down onto the ground like an attack, pouring down from who-knows-where.

"You know, I saw the queen one time. We had a school field trip where we visited the castle." You pick up an umbrella from the stand nearby, in an overhang not quite sheltered from the rain. The kid stops talking and glares enviously at your umbrella for just a second, then turns away quickly so you can't see their face. "We visited the castle, and... um..." They hesitate as they approach the rain, and flinch when a particularly large drop splashes on their face. "Ack!"

You walk over and hold out the umbrella. They look at you oddly for a while. You're embarrassed as you realize they have no hands to hold it with, but to your surprise, their head lunges forward and clamps down on the handle. This time it's your turn to cry out; they didn't bother to avoid your hand, and blood trickles down your fingers. You pull your sleeve down to hide it, but they don't seem to notice. They cheerfully run into the rain, leaving you to get pelted as you catch up. You're soaked by the time you get under the umbrella. The kid just looks smug.

"So!" the kid continues with surprising clarity. "The queen was there – she let us call her 'Ms. Dreemurr' – and she gave us this speech about duty and stuff. I wasn't really paying attention until she used the human souls to transform into this big super-monster and showed us how to kill humans. She said if we gave her one more soul, she could break the barrier and we'd all be free."

The path shifts, and you turn, trying not to get splashed by the streams running off the umbrella. Mercifully, the kid slows down a little, and their voice drops to a whisper – or something close to it, anyway. "Honestly, I thought she was kinda boring! Even when she used the souls she just talked a lot, instead of blowing something up or killing someone!" They speed up again. "Undyne is SO much cooler. SHE wouldn't just sit around waiting for people to give her souls. Hey!" They stand bolt upright, and look at you with stars in their eyes. "How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school?! She could beat up ALL the teachers! Yeah!" You wait for them to clarify that statement, but the kid just keeps walking in silence. They have a pleased, distant look.

The cavern opens further. In the distance, you can see a castle. It's an imposing fortress with thick walls that hide everything else, topped with cruel-looking spikes. Searchlights blaze out from the towers. The kid doesn't even stop to look, and you hurry to keep up with them before you get soaked.

It turns out to be a moot point; the kid drops their umbrella into another bin at the end of the path, exposing you both to the downpour. You feel drops of water soak through your clothes and slither down your skin like slugs as you huddle under a ledge. You shudder.

"Yo! You wanna get past Undyne, right?" the kid says. "Climb on my shoulders!" You do so – it's a difficult shuffle to avoid the spikes on their back, but you only get cut a little before you manage to scramble up the ledge. "Don't worry," the kid shouts up to you, "you _definitely_ won't run into Undyne up there, heh heh!" They smile that strange smile when they see you looking back at them. "Undyne _never_ loses, you know. It sure is a good thing we're not humans, huh? If _I_ were a human... I'd wet the bed every night, knowing Undyne was after me!" They bolt away after that, leaving you alone on the ledge and with no way back down. Nothing for it but to keep going.

Inside, the cave dims, but you can still read the plaques on the wall.

 _The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy. In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust..._

You stare at the wall for a while. Then, slowly, you turn and face into the gloom. You take a deep breath.

 **Determination.**

The cave gives way to a wooden boardwalk. You hit it running. Underneath, you hear a voice curse before a spear of light erupts just behind you. Heavy armor clanks as a large figure chases you below, firing magical spears up through the boards. They never damage the wood, but you know they'll hurt you.

You run faster. Gaping holes appear in the wood and the path twists and spirals into dead ends and narrow passages, but it's never hard to avoid the spears. Undyne is sloppy, burning so much magical power with her attacks you can feel it coming a mile off. She howls in frustration and the spears become faster, but even less accurate.

Eventually, the attacks stop. You take a moment to catch your breath, and walk to the very edge of the boardwalk. It just abruptly stops here. Far below, you can see something glinting in the darkness.

Heavy footsteps alert you to Undyne's presence. You turn, and see she's climbed up to the boardwalk. She is covered head to toe in dark gray armor that heaves up and down as she takes heavy breaths. A single furious eye glints from underneath her helm.

"Enough," she spits. "Die."

She grips her spear as if to charge. You stare into the glowing point, which is angled right at you. No... she's not going to collapse the boardwalk from under you. She means to run you through right here. No, no... You can't fight her here. As she springs into movement, you step back onto nothing, and let yourself fall.

The impact makes your body explode with pain. You hear something crack. For a moment you can't breathe, but after a few seconds of empty gasping you get air in your lungs again. You're shaking. Okay. Okay. The fall wasn't as far as the first, and you're alive. You try to get up, only to scream as new pain blooms in your thigh. You see you've been impaled on something – a piece of trash, probably. You take a deep breath, bite your lip, and... slowly... _oh God_... lift your leg... _PAIN_... off the...

Suddenly you're rolled over on your side, screaming bloody murder and clutching your leg. You press your hands over the wound to block the bleeding, but blood still gushes out between your fingers. So much blood. You're probably going to die, you realize. Maybe next time you can aim somewhere else?

A familiar face pops out of the ground next to you with a little splash. "Oh no oh no Frisk I'm so sorry I know you said but you're hurt and I can fix this please I'll do anything please let me help you please–"

"Do it." You don't have a choice. A green glow washes over you, and with it comes blessed relief. When it ends, your wound looks perfectly healed. You get up carefully, and test your leg. You're good.

Alright, then. Keep moving –

You stagger from an impact you feel in your bones, and suddenly Undyne is in front of you. Did she jump from all the way up there? "You... STUPID human!" she shrieks. "How did you survive that?!" You turn to run. "No no NO! NO MORE RUNNING AWAY!" She swings her spear at you and...

You're not hurt, exactly. But you feel a sick, pinching pressure in your chest, as if the spear is _inside_ you, pinning you down. You can't move.

She's fighting you here? No, no, this isn't the right place, you can't outrun here here – no, don't think like that, you can make it if you're –

You cry out as pain flares over your body, like you're being stabbed with pins. You only see them when you look closely: tiny magical arrows, barely visible, shoot at you from every direction. You try to stop them with your hands, but the arrows go right through. Why can't you block them?

"This takes a lot of energy! She can't hold you forever!" Flowey says at your feet. "You can make it if you keep running!" The pressure suddenly lifts, and you can move again. You immediately duck under Undyne's spear throw, getting another howl of frustration. In the blink of an eye Flowey whips a vine around Undyne's legs, making her fall heavily into the polluted water.

You run as fast as you can, weaving through piles of trash. You're already completely soaked, but you can still feel the blood leaking out of your wounds and crawling down your skin like bugs. Every step hurts. You're breathing heavily. You round a corner, but you hear Undyne marching behind you. You know you can't outrun her, and sure enough, you feel the pressure again. Your legs jerk to a stop.

The arrows come again to cut you apart. Instinctively, you search your pockets, but you hit nothing but soggy fabric. Stupid! Why didn't you grab any food?! You can't protect yourself from this attack. You feel yourself getting weaker with every hit. You'll die long before you reach Hotland at this rate.

You feel yourself perking up suddenly. You open your eyes and see you're covered in a green glow. From the nearby wall, Flowey stares at you with a look of intense concentration.

"What are you doing?!" Undyne shouts as she pulls her spear from your SOUL. "GO AWAY!" She flings her spear at Flowey, but he's already tunneling away. The spear breaks harmlessly on the wall.

You're already moving when Undyne turns back to you. You run through an arch and into a wider area crowded with monsters – a muscular humanoid with the head of a horse, a white star-shaped creature, a turtle with a washing machine – more than you can count. They shriek and scatter before you. So Flowey was telling the truth, then...

You feel the spear weighing on your SOUL again. You slowed down, and Undyne caught up. Once again the arrows come, and once again you're defenseless. You grit your teeth, weather the blows, and dodge when Undyne recovers her spear. Something flickers in the corner of your eye, your wounds close, and you hear Undyne fall again.

You run without looking back – turn right at the village centre, into the next passage. Plaques zip by on the wall, but you only catch the end: _We will remain trapped down here forever._ Then Undyne is upon you, again. Her arrows tear you apart, again. Flowey heals you, again –

You duck, anticipating Undyne's spear, but she twists with blinding speed and throws it straight at Flowey. Your heart suddenly jumps to your throat. The blade nearly tears him in half and for a moment you worry he's really dead, but he screams loudly and you're flooded with a weird relief. He retreats into the stone, leaving a stain of brownish sap.

Undyne turns back to you. Right, gotta keep running.

The cave ahead is dark, lit only by faint glowing mushrooms. You stumble through the inky darkness, turning in what you hope are the right places. Undyne grunts in frustration and you hear her knocking into the walls, but you don't look back. The mushrooms give way to glowing crystals that bathe everything in a purple light, and then even those fade away. You can hear Undyne gaining on you again. The rock gives way to a pool. You're already soaked through, but you wade on, desperately feeling along the wall to your left for a way out. The ground rises. Undyne crashes through the water, right behind you.

Just when you think you've found the way forward, a familiar figure emerges to your side.

"Kehehehe!" the monster kid cackles. "You fell for it!"

Undyne's spear is out. By its light, you can see the kid is straight in its path. She isn't slowing down. The kid just stares at you, grinning. They have no idea.

You barely even think. You shove the kid aside and jump into the spear's path yourself.

The spear disappears after it goes through you. You clutch your chest, trying desperately to ignore the pain. You're bleeding horribly, but you're still alive. Barely. Undyne is already reforming her spear, but that'll take her a moment. That's all the time you need to get running again.

Pain suddenly flashes in your back. You look down, and see a spike poking out of your abdomen. It retreats with a sick sucking sound.

Spots cloud your vision. Everything's blurry. Before you collapse, you hear the monster kid shriek in delight: "I really did it! I killed a human! YEAH!"

Then there's nothing at all.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You tackle the kid this time, avoiding the spear yourself. Undyne pins you when you get up, but you expected that. You can survive this barrage and then maybe you can stall her long enough for Flowey to recover...

Your thoughts are interrupted when something jabs painfully into your stomach. The kid is tearing through you with the spike on their head.

"What are you doing?" you cry. "I'm trying to save you!"

The kid just laughs and laughs. They stab you until your body gives out.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You tackle the kid, and turn the motion into a roll. You're up and running before Undyne can get close enough to use her spell... but you're still trapped, you realize. This section is a dead end. There's another path forward, but Undyne's blocking the way out.

"Kehehehe! You're trapped~! You're trapped~!" the kid sings, jumping up and down madly. Undyne summons a ring of spears, all pointed at you. "This idiot thought I didn't know what a human looked like! Can you believe that, Undyne?!"

You roll under the spears and sprint for the gap between Undyne and the wall. Undyne moves to grab you, but she thinks you're charging at her, and misses. Yes, yes, there's the way forward, she can't attack you fast enough –

You're knocked to the ground by something heavy barrelling into you. You look up. It's the kid.

"Trying to run away? Coward!" They stomp on you, painfully, for emphasis. "No one can escape Undyne!"

Undyne approaches behind them and summons her spear, and then it's over.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

Tackle, roll, run. You try to keep an eye on the kid this time, but Undyne is faster, and pins you as you try to get by.

You're out of options. "Flowey, help me!" you yell.

Flowey pops out of the ground immediately. Even for a flower, his wounds look gruesome; his head is split down the middle, barely held in place by strings of green mush. His petals are barely more than brown lumps. He grunts, and extends a thin vine to shield you.

In an instant, Undyne whirls around and crushes him under her boot. He screams as she stomps on him again and again and again. The screams stop suddenly, and that horrifies you even more. Undyne scrapes her boot on the rock, leaving a muddy paste.

The kid starts stabbing you again. You don't resist.

 **8**

 **"...I refuse."**

 **8**

Maybe you've misread the situation. Monsters are vulnerable to the intent of their attacker. Undyne only wants to kill _you_. Her attack shouldn't kill the kid, at least not in one hit. Undyne would never _intend_ to kill a monster...

The spear impales the kid through the mouth. Their eyes bulge. They let out a faint, gurgling cry before the spear explodes. Then they turn to dust.

Undyne stabs you, but you barely register it. The kid just burst all at once, like confetti. You can feel their dust on your face. You stare as it floats to the ground, to stick to the wet stone or float on the surface of the pool. Already, it looks so faint, as if they never existed at all. Undyne steps over it as if nothing happened, and drives her spear through your heart.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You try again.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

And again.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

Why...

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

...is Undyne so...

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

...cruel?

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

The kid never believes you.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

Undyne never lets up.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

Of course she'll try to kill you. You understand that. You expect that.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

But to kill a monster? A child? To feel such hate for them she can kill them in one blow?

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You don't understand.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

It hurts.

 **8**

 **You try to say the words, but they don't come.**

 **You're tired. You're so tired.**

 **...It's peaceful here. Nothing hurts. No one is trying to kill you. If you wanted to, you could just...**

 **...No.**

 **Not yet. You'll see this through to the end. Then. Then, you can go back.**

 **You give yourself a moment to steel yourself.**

 **Then,**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You can't both survive. If you live, the monster kid dies. If the monster kid lives, you die. Every time.

There is a way to save them, you're sure of that. But maybe... not anymore. Not in this time, in this place. Maybe if you had talked to them more before. Maybe if you had stopped them from coming to Waterfall.

Maybe if you had saved the dog.

You see them standing there, grinning at you, their face illuminated in crooked shadows from the light of the spear. They don't even realize. Or maybe they do. Maybe they just have that much faith in Undyne, a total certainty that she won't let them come to harm.

You try to say, "I'm sorry," but all that comes out is a choked sob. You turn so you don't see them dissolve. You still hear it.

Nonetheless, you're **determined** in your path.

You run. The glowing plants from before are here, and they brighten as you go further. Undyne marches behind you. Even after that... it didn't even make her miss a beat.

She catches up to you as you round the corner. Ahead of you is a swaying plank bridge suspended over a massive chasm. On the other end, there's something like daylight.

The arrows come. You can take it.

But you forget to duck, this time. The spear rips through you. You manage a few steps before you collapse, and then there are more spears...

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You don't forget to duck, this time. Undyne screeches like a boiling kettle. You run onto the bridge, clutching your sides. You're dripping blood with every step. The bridge sways dangerously as Undyne follows.

A part of you thinks: it would be so easy to make her fall...

You ignore that thought, and keep moving. You make it to the end of the bridge before she pins you again. You duck afterwards, but the action shoots pain through your whole body. Your clothes are soaked through with blood. You keep moving, desperately. The cavern opens onto a windswept peak. You're hanging by a thread, but you're almost there. You can make it...!

Undyne grabs you. You can't make it.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You make it a bit farther this time.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You make it a bit less far this time.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You run. You take the hits. You run. You take the hits. You stumble. Undyne raises her spear for the final blow. You close your eyes.

It can't end like this. You're so close. You can see the road to Hotland. You're _so close_.

The spear comes down. It hurts... but...

You _will_ make it to the end. You _will_ save everyone. You won't die. You won't die. You won't die. You won't die, you won't die, **you won't die.**

Your pain vanishes in an instant. The heart that was in two pieces a moment ago beats furiously in your chest. You can feel the blood rushing, hammering in your ears.

"WHY WON'T YOU _DIE?!_ " Undyne wails, and you take off. Under the arch, through the tunnel over the river. Undyne catches up to you. She doesn't even bother to pin you this time, she just summons a storm of spears that fly and sweep wildly. Several cut you badly, **but you refuse to die.** You keep running, next to a giant monitor proclaiming "HOTLAND AHEAD". Undyne summons spears from the ground, far more than she did on the boardwalk, far too many to dodge. They pierce you to the bone, **but you refuse to die.** You keep running. You can feel the heat of Hotland coming down the tunnel. But... the end is still dark. That's... odd. Shouldn't there be light from the lava? No, there is a glow around the edges. But that outline looks a bit... like...

You skitter to a stop just as you realize what's going on. Silhouetted in front of you is the reptilian guard, 02. He plants his legs firmly. You hear movement, and two other guards with matching sets of armor emerge from the shadows behind you.

"FINALLY! Where... have you... idiots... _BEEN?!_ " Undyne shouts, out of breath. She rips off her helmet with a grunt of frustration, leaving it to clatter against the ground. "What are you waiting for? KILL IT!"

"So, like, about that..." a guard with furry hands begins. "You got the memo, right? Just after 02 came back?"

"Of course I did! What does that have t..." She slaps her hand against her face, and growls. "You want to hand the human over to Alphys. Alive. You going to give it a cookie, too?"

"It doesn't matter what we want, Captain," the third guard says slowly. His helmet is shaped like a bird's head. "Our duty is to follow the Crown's orders."

"YOUR DUTY IS TO FOLLOW _MY_ ORDERS!" Undyne bellows, and the guards flinch back. "And _I_ say –" She summons her spear, and jabs it at you for emphasis. "– we kill it here and now, before Toriel's laplizard can get her hands on it! It's using some kind of magic to heal itself, but together we can take it down!"

She's met with nothing but silence.

"...It's true, then," 02 rumbles behind you. "I... hoped I was wrong. Captain... we can't let you do this."

It's a good thing looks can't kill, you think, or 02 would be dust right now. "Are you defying _my orders_ , 02?!"

"He didn't mean it!" 01 says quickly. "Like, we know you're not really trying to, like, steal the SOUL! Right?!"

Undyne freezes. She turns, very slowly, to 01, then looks at everyone else in turn.

"You've been spying on me," she says darkly.

"Well not... exactly. 02 just overheard you in the wishing room and –"

"Fine!" Undyne throws her hands in the air, her spear dissipating. "Yes, I'm taking the SOUL for myself! Now _kill the human so I can do that!_ "

"C-C-Captain..." 01 is shaking. "This... this is _treason_. They'll make an example of you! Of all of us!"

Undyne stares at him for a moment, then throws her head back in bitter laughter. 01 backs away, bumping into the wall. In a flash, Undyne steps over and backhands him with a force that makes his helmet ring. You leap forward automatically, scared she'll kill him, but 02 grabs you roughly by the collar.

"I didn't realize they let such _cowards_ into the royal guard these days!" She whirls around, staring daggers at the others. "You're really scared of Toriel, huh? Dear old fluffy _'Ms. Dreemurr'_? You afraid she'll give you a write-up? Dock your pay? _Pathetic!_ "

"She kills people for this, Undyne!" the guard you presume is 03 says. "She really does! There are accounts –"

"'Accounts'!" Undyne howls with laughter. "Stories! _Lies!_ That's what she _does_ , she makes pretty stories that tell us why we need to do everything for her!"

"Captain, there is no need for this," 02 says, but this close, you can hear the tremor of fear in his voice. "This is the seventh SOUL. We will get all the SOULs we desire when the queen breaks the barrier."

Undyne stares at him in sheer bafflement. "Oh my god," she breathes. "You believe her. You really believe her."

"You... don't?" 03 squeaks out like the beginning of a horrible mistake.

Undyne squeezes her eye shut and breathes out like a motor engine. "You're all _idiots._ THINK! You need seven human SOULs to _break_ the barrier, but you only need _one_ to cross it! I _know_ you know this!"

"Yeeesss..." 03 begins carefully. "Buuut... the queen says it's too dangerous to go out until –"

"LIES!" Undyne snaps. "Have you ever seen her come out of the palace in our _entire lifetimes?!_ What do you think she's doing in there? I'll tell you!" Undyne juts out an accusing finger, making 03 jump. "She's taking vacations to the outside, basking in the real sun, as she sneers at all of us still trapped down here! Face it: The only way we're breaking the barrier is if we do it ourselves!"

There's a silence. You decide to fill it before things escalate. "Please, take me to the palace. I know how to break the barrier."

The guards look at you strangely, and Undyne barks out a laugh before punching you in the face. Your head rings, and the edges of her gauntlet have drawn painful gashes across your face. Your vision is blurry in one eye. " _You_ shut up."

"This is cra..." 03 mutters, then changes track to, "I mean, you have no proof!"

"I don't care. I DON'T CARE! I'm DONE with her excuses! I am NOT going to stand by and watch her invent some reason for why we're _still_ stuck here even with seven SOULs! She'll do it, you know she will!" She grabs you by the throat. 02 tries to back away, but she holds fast. "I can get past her. I'll pass the barrier, get seven SOULs, and then I'll show her what a _real_ monster looks like. I'll have everything... everything I've ever dreamed of..."

"Sounds like you just want the power for yourself."

It's 01's voice. Undyne looks at him without taking her hand off of you. "And what if I do? I deserve it."

"That's not how we do things –"

"That's not how TORIEL does things!" Undyne snarls, and whirls around to look at all the guards with utter hatred. "Look at yourselves. You pathetic, _defanged_ things, you disgust me! We are monsters! We TAKE what we WANT!"

01's hand hovers over his sword. "You're starting to sound like the Canine Unit, Undyne."

Undyne turns back to you with a strange, distant look. "Maybe they have it right, then," she says, unusually quiet. "Kill or be killed." 02 takes a step back, but she steps with him, still holding on to you. The heat is starting to get uncomfortable. "With me..." Her spear crackles into existence again. Behind her, the guards stiffen.

You can see what's going to happen.

"NO!" you shout.

"...or AGAINST ME!" Undyne thrusts the spear just above you, into 02's chest. His grip loosens, and Undyne lets go of you to block the retaliatory blow. You stumble away, and turn back to see everyone has drawn their swords.

"Stop this!" you say. "I'll go with you, just please don't fight!"

They don't seem to hear you. 03 grabs Undyne's arms as 01 swings for her head, but she dodges by headbutting 02 and the sword whacks into 03's helmet instead, forcing him to let go. You look around desperately for anything you can use to get their attention.

Two spears erupt under 02 at once. He gasps hollowly, and turns to dust.

"Oh my god! You killed him! _You killed him!_ " 01 screams hysterically and charges her, knocking her down.

No no no this is all going wrong you have to fix this, you have to die –

03 dashes forward and grabs you.

"Kill me!" you tell him.

"Oh don't start changing your story now!" You struggle, but 03 drags you to a large stone bridge over the lava. You see spears flash, and hear 01 turn to dust. 03's breath catches and he shakes for a moment, then sprints along the bridge. You look ahead, and see a huge industrial-looking building looming out of the heat haze. But it's so far away, across another bridge –

03 gasps and drops you. Spears sprout from his back like quills, then vanish. He takes another step forward, then falls to his knees. "ALPHYS!" he screams. "SOMEONE! HELP MEEE!"

And then he's gone.

Undyne is still in the middle of the bridge. Her movements have slowed, and she wheezes with every staggering step. When she reaches your island, she stares at you with one bloodshot eye, and topples forward.

After a moment, you stand up. You look to your right and – you laugh. You shouldn't, but. It's just. You can't quite believe it. After everything, everything that's been just _gone_ , the water cooler is still here.

But you're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. You walk over and fill a cup. Your hands are shaking. You have to be careful not to spill anything as you walk over to Undyne. You pour it onto her, but you feel numb, like you're just going through the motions. Will she see the power of love and forgiveness and turn her life around? Or will she just kill you? You realize, distantly, that you're not actually sure which outcome you want.

She gasps, jumps to her feet. She looks at you with confusion, but only for a second before summoning another spear. The second one, then. Good. You'll be able to fix your mistake.

Something whizzes past you and hits Undyne's head. She spasms as electricity suddenly arcs across her body, and collapses again. You turn around, and look up into the face of a large robot. It's painted in black and red, with the same symbol you saw on Asgore's robe displayed on the face and chest. With surprising speed it grabs you with both hands, holding you tightly. You can't move.

"Oh geez sorry I couldn't come earlier!" a feminine voice chimes. Next to the robot is a hunched yellow lizard in a lab coat with large, bulky glasses. She is staring at you, and wringing her hands nervously. "This would've been, um, easier if _someone_ "–she glares at Undyne–"hadn't smashed my cameras and ripped up my echo flowers. I mean, _honestly_ , those things are around for a _reason_ , people! But nooo, everyone just wants to break stuff!"

"Al...physsss..." Undyne grunts. "I'll... kill you..."

"Oh, and, um, about that little, stunt there, Undyne?" Alphys continues. "I-I've decided, um, I won't mention it to Her Grace – because you're, you're wrong, you know, she's really going to break the barrier and free everyone and then this will be water under the bridge, alright? You'll see. O-oh, but, I'm still going to have to punish you, so, um, I-I hope you enjoy your new rank, _Sergeant_ Undyne. Hehe!" She laughs awkwardly.

You blink, trying to catch up with everything that just happened. "What?"

"Agh!" Alphys snaps her fingers. "Mettaton don't just stand there, do it already!"

A panel in Mettaton's chest opens and a breathing mask shoots out onto your face. There's a hiss of gas, and your head suddenly feels very heavy.

"P-Poison...?" you sputter.

Everything's starting to dim, but you can see Alphys grin at you. "Oh no, this won't kill you." You struggle, but your body is going limp. You can't keep your eyes open. Before everything fades out, the last thing you hear is: "But you'd like that, wouldn't you?"


	4. Steel and Sparks

You open your eyes, very slowly. They feel sticky. Everything's too bright. You grunt and try to move your arm, but there's something holding you down.

"Oh you're awake! Finally!"

Alphys' voice. The thing you're lying on folds upward with a mechanical whirr until you're facing her.

Your vision is starting to resolve. Alphys looks positively giddy in front of you – her hands are jittering like she can barely contain her excitement. Around her, the room is walled in gray metal, polished to a mirror shine. Pipes and consoles jut out at various points, and a dark projector screen is mounted above her.

You scrunch your eyes. Instinctively, you try to rub them, but your arm bumps into something again. This time you turn to look... and your blood immediately runs cold. You're strapped down with massive steel clamps.

Alphys titters. "Oh don't look so shocked! It's obvious really, you, I mean, just because you can't be _killed_ doesn't mean you can't be, uh, _restrained_ , right?"

Your eyes bulge wide, and you immediately regret it. You turn your face to the side, hoping against hope she didn't see. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Alphys gives you an exasperated look, then pushes a button on a nearby console. Pain arcs through your body, and you scream.

"Frisk, we don't have a lot of time here so don't waste my time, please?" she says. "I know you kn–" She jerks up and snaps her fingers suddenly. "Oh I almost forgot!" She throws one arm behind her back and stands theatrically straight. A smile she's clearly trying to hold back quirks onto her face. "How many fingers am I holding behind my back?"

You stare at her. You blink a few times. Finally, you say, "What?"

Alphys' smile splits into a full-face grin as she shoves her hand towards you. You flinch, expecting another attack, but nothing happens. She just holds up two fingers, shaking them to make sure you notice. "So this is the first time we're having this... conversation." She says it oddly, like it's rehearsed.

You keep staring. " _What?_ " you say again.

She rolls her eyes and taps the console. You get another shock. "Please try to keep up, Frisk. It is Frisk, right? Anyway yes," she continues without waiting for confirmation, "I know about your whole time travelly... thing." She waves her hands excitedly. "It looks like you can, sort of, like, throw yourself back in time? When you die. Like, you _can_ die, but you can go back and remember everything, kinda like in a video game?"

Your eyes flick to the console again. You swallow. "Y...yes."

She claps her hands and hops up and down. "Wow! That's so incredible! It runs so counter to what we _thought_ we knew about determination but it makes sense from a different perspective doesn't it – you achieve your desire by changing the world _around_ you, instead of changing yourself!"

She's talking so fast it's hard to keep up. All you can say is, "Ye–"

"Looks like those skeletons were onto something after all – but, haha, I guess I figured it out on my own!"

You feel a chill. Your mouth is suddenly very dry.

"Sans and Papyrus." You try to make it a question, but it's not. You know.

"Were those their names? I-I'm not good with names. They were –"

She stops, turns to you. Her eyes are suddenly very focused. A cruel grin curls over her face. "And how do you know that?" she says slowly, in the tone of a cat toying with its prey. "I mean as we've established you _are_ a time traveler, but I think we'd have noticed another human running around back then. Do you come from the same place? We never _did_ get to the bottom of that one."

You're sweating. You can't hide it. This is bad.

"Or maybe..." She looks thoughtful now, and taps her chin with a finger. "Not the same _place_... Hmm... All the stuff in their house, and now this... I didn't think it was possible, but..."

No no no no no –

"I really don't know anything about them!" you say, desperately, anything to distract her. "Please, just – what happened to them? Please, please tell me!"

"Oh I don't know the details myself." Alphys waves dismissively. "They just showed up in Snowdin one day, and got into a fight with the dogs before we could investigate. They lost."

"N-no..." you whimper.

"I did always wonder what their deal was, though..." Her finger hovers over the switch. "...So please stop dodging the question. How do you know them?"

Think, think. Maybe you can trick her into killing you somehow, reset this conversation. But how?

She flicks the switch. You scream. You're crying now. It hurts so much.

"Please don't make me wait. Oh and in case you're wondering, these shocks won't kill you. I was _very_ careful about that."

Stupid, stupid, stupid! You didn't think it would be like this. You grasp around for anything –

"Flowey!" you bark out. "Flowey told me about them!" Yes, he did, didn't he? That's not even a lie.

Alphys seems to buy it. Her eyes sparkle. "Oh, yes, your flower friend! What's _his_ deal? I've never seen a monster like that!"

You're taken aback. "You... but didn't you make him?"

You realize you've made a mistake as soon as the words leave your mouth. Alphys looks shocked, then her face narrows back to that knowing smirk. "No, I didn't. At least..." She pauses just a bit too long to feel natural. "...not in _this_ timeline."

Oh, crap.

"Ohohoho!" She laughs a strange, bellowing laugh. It sounds forced, like she's copying something she heard. "We're l-learning so _much_ , aren't you excited?" She taps her claws together. "Oh, oh, and – speaking of, your flower friend won't be coming to save you this time! I made sure to reinforce all the plating in the lab – not even he can burrow through that, I think. It's just you!" She chuckles, then stands up straighter and gets a faraway look in her eyes. "Heh – no weapons, no friends, no hope," she says in that careful, rehearsed tone again. "Take all that away, and what's left?"

You just keep staring. You have no idea what's going on anymore. You need to redo this conversation, but how?

Alphys sighs sharply and looks disappointed, like you've failed some kind of test. You expect another shock and tense automatically, but she just mumbles, "You're supposed to say 'Me!' in a really dramatic – oh whatever."

She looks over at something on the wall. She must be getting bored. That's bad. Keep her talking. If you can keep her talking, maybe something will happen...

"I, uh, we can... redo it, if you want?" you offer.

"No, no, the mo-moment's ruined," she grumbles. She steps over to a bench and shuffles through some notes. After a moment, she continues, "Hmm, hmm, s-so you've visited another timeline... what was it like? Any other cool things I did there?"

There's something that comes to your mind immediately, of course, but... no. Now that you're actually here, the thought of what she might have done to them makes your gut twist into a knot.

But you have to keep her talking, and – oh! Yes, this should keep her occupied for a while...

"Y-you, um, you made an internet for the Underground!" You force a smile. "It was pretty cool, there w-were forums and status updates and–"

"I did that _ages_ ago!" Alphys scoffs. "C'mon c'mon, tell me the good stuff! Weapons, scanners, mutations! There must be _something!_ "

You shudder, and take a deep breath. Her claw hovers over the shock switch. Looks like you're not getting out of this one.

"The amalgamates."

"Hmm?" Alphys says.

"The... monsters," you say lamely. You're too anxious to think straight. You shake your head and steady your breathing. There's no reason to be afraid. She can't really hurt you. They can't really hurt you. "Um... you injected them with determination, and it... did something to them..."

Recognition dawns on her face. "Oh, those awful things," she says. You breathe a sigh of relief. They still have standards, even after everything you've seen. That's something you can use. You can –

"They were such a disappointment. So much determination I used on them, and they just melted. And they couldn't even pass the barrier! Her Grace thinks we can use them on the humans, but we won't be able to make a real army unless we're already harvesting SOULs by the dozen. So it kind of defeats the purpose, you know? Such a waste. Hmm. Interesting properties, though. I'll have to make some more once we get to the surface, just to study. I've wondered if adding an intact human SOUL would stabilize them... Hey, what were they like in the other timeline? Did alterna-me try that?"

She catches your eye. "...Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"

You're shaking. For a long time, all you can do is stare at her. When you can finally speak, you say,

"You're a _monster_."

She gives you a sideways glance. "Uh, duh-doy. Did you overheat or something?"

"How can you talk like that?! They were _people!_ And you... you..." You feel your body trembling. "How can you just _not care?_ "

Alphys just shrugs. "What, you expect me to be... sorry? They were criminals and runts. If I hadn't taken them, they'd be dead anyway. And thanks to them, I've learned so much about determination! I only did what I had to do."

You shake your head. "No! This is too far, even for... for you!"

She laughs, and raises her brow. "W-wow, 'even for me'? Alterna-me sounds like quite the character! Really, tell me, what did I find? I can show you my notes so you can compare –"

"NO!" She jumps back as you strain against the bolts. "This is... this is...! I'm not telling you _anything!_ You're sick, you're _AAAAAGH_ –"

She's shocked you again. You cough. When you open your eyes again, Alphys actually looks affronted. "Geez, dude, calm – calm down! I-I'm just trying to have a conversation!"

Your brows knit together. "That's... really all you wanted?"

"Well yeah." She scrapes a claw along a bench absently. "All the other humans d-died before they got here. I've never been a-able to actually talk to one before!" She pouts.

Of course... that does make sense. Monsters want simple things, they're just bad at expressing it. But... after everything... you can't find it in yourself to be patient this time. You snap, "You didn't have to knock me out and tie me up for that, you know!"

She suddenly hunches and flicks her head to the side. She taps her claws together nervously. "U-u-um, yes, w-well, that's, you see..."

As if on cue, the screen behind Alphys flashes on. A voice booms through the speakers.

"Alphys, my child, what is taking you so long?"

Alphys freezes in an expression of pure terror. Your eyes drift to the face on the screen.

Toriel is an exercise in contrast. Her face is impossibly young, not a gray hair in sight, but her eyes are impossibly old. That's a face that carries the weight of lifetimes, yet she hasn't seemed to age a day past her prime. You can sense a deep, bitter sadness behind her weary smile. A small crown sits perfectly balanced on her head, almost covering her small, blunt horns. Everything about her looks immaculate.

"Toriel?" you murmur.

Her eyes suddenly flash with a fury that pins you back in your seat. You feel it seize your heart, rush through your body like pins, like ice, like fire. You thought the other monsters hated you, but... no. Not like this. This is a hatred you could drown in, a hatred to sear the flesh from your bones, a hatred that wishes you were never born.

"That is _Empress_ Toriel to you, _vermin_ , and _you will hold your tongue!_ " Toriel spits. "You DARE talk to me after what you did to – to –"

She screws her eyes shut and takes a deep breath that hisses through her clenched teeth. She bangs her fist against something. Alphys, cowering on the floor, flinches at the noise. Toriel exhales slowly, and to your surprise, the tension in her face subsides. "No," she says quietly. "No. I will not give them the satisfaction." She opens her eyes, and spares you one more glare before directing her attention to Alphys. She takes another deep breath, and her expression composes itself once more.

"Alphys," Toriel says in the same soft voice as before. "The reason for your delay... it is not because you have been talking to the human, is it?"

Alphys makes a strangled noise. She's shaking and staring at the floor.

Toriel's eyes droop. "Oh, Alphys..."

"I'msorryIthoughtitwouldn'tI'msorryIknowyousaidnottobutI'msorryI'msorry–" Alphys squeaks out in one huge burst. She's hyperventilating.

"Shhh," Toriel says, tapping her hand against the screen. "Shh shh shh." Slowly, Alphys' breathing steadies. "My child, I am not angry with you." Hesitantly, Alphys raises her head to look Toriel in the eye. Toriel's eyes narrow just a fraction. "I am just... _disappointed_."

That seems to hurt Alphys more than anything else she could have said. She jitters like she's the one hooked up to a shock machine, and droops her head. All the tension leaves her body, and she deflates pathetically, her arms hanging limply like a ragdoll.

"You know I told you not to talk to the human," Toriel says.

"Yes'm'," Alphys says quietly.

"You know I did it for your own good."

"Yes'm'."

"You know I know best for you."

"Yes'm'."

"You know I promised you could have all the humans you wanted when we got to the surface."

"Yes'm'."

"You know how important this is, Alphys."

"Yes'm'."

"How many people are depending on you."

"Yes'm'."

"So please tell me, Alphys." Toriel's voice is still perfectly calm. "Why did you disobey me?"

It takes some time before Alphys responds. When she does, she sounds like she's on the verge of tears. "Be...because I'm... selfish."

"Yes."

Alphys shudders. She breathes out in a shaking half-sob. "I'm suh, sorry... It w-won't ha-happen again Your, Your Grace..."

Toriel smiles. "That is right. It will _not_ happen again. So... can you tell me what you are going to do now?"

A pause. Alphys sniffles. She mumbles, "I'll. I'll k-kill the human, and capture their SOUL... immediately, Your Grace."

Toriel's eyes crinkle. "Very good! There is my brilliant scientist! We are so close now, Alphys. It will all be worth it." She glances at you one last time, and her expression chills you to the bone. "I only wish I could rip this one's SOUL from their flesh myself."

The screen blinks off.

For a while, there's only the hum of the machines. Alphys doesn't move.

You decide to say something. You know it hasn't served you well so far, but this is too sad. "You don't have to let her talk to you like that."

"She's right, though." Alphys' voice sounds dead. The lilting cheerfulness from before is completely gone. "She knows best. She always knows best. For... for all of us."

You feel something twinge inside you. "That's not true," you say. You haven't been certain of much... of _anything_ on this misadventure, if you're being honest. But this you know is real. "She says that, but it's not true. You have to make your own –"

" _You don't know._ " The voice takes you aback. You've never heard Alphys so bitter. "You don't know. What it was like. Before." Alphys shuffles sideways, her movements leaden. She doesn't look at you. "Everything was just... stupid. Stupid fighting. Stupid wastefulness. Stupid everything. We don't need humans to destroy us. We can do that all on our own." She leans heavily against the wall, and lets out a sad, shuddering sigh. "Really, I... can hardly believe we survived this long. We shouldn't have, by all logic. It's a miracle, really. Almost like there... there really is an a-angel looking out for us."

Your breath hitches. You are very glad she can't see your face right now.

"After the first human came, and the Underground nearly went empty..." She shudders. "She knew... we had to change. The old ways d-didn't work." Alphys raises her head a little. "So she threw Asgore out, and made her own way. She taught us organization, and teamwork, and loyalty. She showed us how to survive. She gave us purpose. She protected us from ourselves." Alphys stands up a little straighter. "You saw what happened with the canines, and with Undyne. That's what happens when we make our own choices. We fail."

Alphys waits a moment, then trudges over to a wall with a large switch.

"You don't have to do this," you say, but your voice is faint. "There's another way."

Alphys stops with her arm halfway to the switch, and sighs.

"I'm not... a bad person." She wrings her hands. "I don't like doing this. But... if I do... everyone can finally be happy. It'll all be worth it. I just want to feel the sun on my face. To see monsters be free. To see... that pain in... her eyes go away. And I..." She takes a deep breath, stands up straight, and pulls the switch.

"I'll kill for that."

The chair rotates until you're facing a heavy iron door. A horn blares, and the wall splits down the middle. Air hisses. The heavy doors move apart, slowly. The room beyond is dark, but slowly the shadows resolve into...

You scream.

Alphys is saying something but you don't care, you have to get out, you have to get out _now_. You thrash and writhe you strain every muscle you pull so hard your skin burns you're still screaming it hurts but that doesn't matter all that matters is getting out you have to get out YOU HAVE TO GET OUT.

The machine, coming steadily closer, is a huge, metal skull. The elongated mouth yawns wide.

Something clamps over your mouth, stinging you with the force, and your screams are muffled.

"Geez, such a drama queen! Th-this is easier for both of us if you just stay still, o-o-okay?"

No. No. No. This has gone too far. If you go in there, you'll die for real. You pull desperately at the restraints, rocking back and forth. You're soaked through with sweat. You think you're crying. If you can kill yourself before it reaches you – but how?! There has to be a way out of this. There has to be a way out of this.

You're under it now. The chair spins so that you're right in its jaws.

"–wish you could tell me what t-timeline you umm encountered this in before–"

You screw your eyes shut. You feel tears gushing out, streaming all over your face. You don't want to die. It isn't fair. _It wasn't supposed to be this way!_

There's a loud bang. With a sickening lurch you wonder if it's the machine starting up. You close your eyes tighter.

"HOW DID YOU–"

Alphys' voice is cut off by a familiar machine-gun patter, then turns into a scream. Your eyes fly open just in time to see Flowey's vines curl around you and tear your restraints open. You leap out immediately. Alphys is convulsing on the floor in front of you, covered in burns. A huge panel of the ceiling is missing; from within, broken wires and twisted machinery spark.

"I came here as soon as I could!" Flowey says, his voice a childish, high-pitched warble. "I – I'm so sorry about everything, I'll do whatever you say I promise!"

You point to the determination extractor. Your whole body is shaking. " _Destroy that._ "

You look away, but you hear the crash.

"Nooooo!" Alphys wails. Her skin is covered in strange pockmarks, probably from where Flowey's bullets hit her, but they're already sealing up. She'll live, then.

"Alphys." The coldness of your voice surprises even you. Alphys looks at you in utter terror. Her claws scrape as she flails erratically against the ground like a – like a lizard. Behind you, there's another crash as the machine splinters.

"Oh god oh god oh god..." she says over and over, cowering in front of you. "Oh god oh god oh god oh god–"

"WILL YOU _SHUT UP?!_ " you shriek.

Everything goes quiet. Behind you, even Flowey's assault stops.

No. No, that's... not right. That's not what... that's not how you should...

You clutch your head. Slowly, you collapse to your knees. You breathe in shuddering, quiet hiccups that eventually turn to sobs.

You're... _tired_ , you realize. You're tired of this. You never thought you would be. But everything about this place has been frustrating, just pain without end. You've been trying so hard, but nothing you do _matters_ , they just won't _listen_...

"Frisk?" Flowey says. If you didn't know any better, you'd say that sounded like genuine concern. A single laugh escapes your lips. "...Frisk?" Except... _him_. You still haven't figured him out yet. But he's the only hope you've got.

You pinch your nose, take deep breaths. You just have to keep going for a little longer. A little longer, and then you can save everyone.

"...Alphys," you say, managing to keep your voice calm this time. "You said you wished there was another way?"

"Yuh-yuh-yuh-yuh, y-y-y–" she sputters, hyperventilating.

"I know another way," you continue anyway. "I know how to break the barrier, and no one has to die. But I need you to do _exactly_ what I say." Alphys nods frantically and scrambles to a sitting position, still shaking. You take a deep breath. This is cheating, but so was what Alphys tried to do to you. "I am going to meet Queen Toriel in the throne room. You will not stop me," you add when you see her eyes flicker with confusion. "Everyone in the Underground has to be there. _Everyone_. Can you do that?"

Alphys' breathing is a little less erratic now, but she still clutches her chest so hard it looks painful. Her wide eyes flicker between you and Flowey for a moment. "I-I-I..." She takes a deep breath. "...I think so. I-I have a-an i-intercom sys, system. I can..." She clenches her fingers in her shirt, and looks at you, still terrified. "... _Everyone?_ " Her voice is barely a squeak.

You blink, and see the kid, crumbling to dust... "As many as you can get," you say quickly. "Just... as many people as possible. The Ruins too, if you can. Please." You hope against hope that there are still enough.

Alphys scrambles to her feet. "I'll do it! I'll do it! A-anything you want!" She dashes madly into another room, fleet clacking wildly on the steel floor. You turn back to the room you woke up in – it seems all that time, you were the one moving, not the... the machine. The elevator's there.

"O-oh, the elevator t-to New Home is... uh..." You're already pushing the call button. The doors open, and you step inside, followed by Flowey. You turn, and see her peering at you from around the corner, figure hunched.

"If you betray me, Alphys, I will be very..." You hesitate, but only for a split second. "... _disappointed._ "

That was cruel, but all you feel is a rush from your cleverness. The look on her face should make you feel guilty, you know, but it doesn't. You wonder if that makes you a bad person... but, no, you only did it to make sure the plan works. You did it to save everyone.

The doors close. The elevator lurches. Beside you, Flowey is impassive. You take a deep breath.

Here you go.


	5. Dreams and Hopes

There is supposed to be some fancy formatting in this chapter that didn't carry over because FFN hates fun. I highly recommend reading the Archive of Our Own version instead.

* * *

The elevator rumbles.

"Sooooo..." If a voice could sidle, Flowey's would be doing it now. "What is your plan, exactly?"

You glance sideways at him, and see he's doing the same to you. You're not sure what he's playing at. He already knows – he revealed that much back in Waterfall.

You'll play along, for now. "You can absorb SOULs, right, Flowey?"

His expression doesn't flicker, but he pauses just a bit too long before answering, "Yeah."

You continue, "We need seven human SOULs to break the barrier, but As–"

You choke on your voice, and the world falls out from under you.

Your breath hitches. Your heart feels like a stone, your embarrassment cutting like knives.

"–T-Toriel only h-has, um, six, right?" He noticed, you were so obvious a _monkey_ could notice, but you continue on anyway like nothing happened. "But maybe if we add all the monster SOULs in the Underground–"

"–it'll be as strong as a human SOUL, and we can break the barrier..." His eyes narrow a fraction. "...just like we did last time. Right, Frisk?"

Fortunately, you were expecting this – this is Flowey, after all – and you're able to keep a poker face. Unfortunately, you reflect, that's probably even more revealing.

Flowey sighs, long and hard. For a while there's just the hum of the elevator. Then, in a faint voice: "Why didn't you tell me?" You stare straight ahead. Maybe you can pretend you didn't hear. "Why did you pretend you didn't remember?" he says, louder this time. His voice shakes, as if he's actually hurt.

You snort. "You've gotten better at acting."

" _I'm not–!_ " he snaps, but bites down the rest of his response. You hear him grumble for a minute, then he says, darkly, "Is that what this is all about? You don't _trust_ me?"

Okay, that does it. " _NO_ , Flowey, I do _not_ trust you!" you snap, wheeling on him. He flinches as you wave your finger at him, but his expression stays defiant. "How can you ask me that, after everything you did?! How many people have you killed, huh? How many did you mess with and torture just for kicks? Like _Asgore_ , do you remember when you _murdered_ him just to spite me?!" This time he does crack, his body drooping a little more with each accusation. He winces and can't meet your eye. "You've _never_ done anything good for me. So–"

"That's not true!" Flowey shoots back, defiant again. "I broke the barrier! I saved everyone just like you wanted!"

You glare at him. "No, _Asriel_ did that."

Flowey gapes and sputters for a moment, before scrunching his face up and making a high keening noise. You're worried he's trying to attack you, but suddenly he goes quiet, and deflates.

"Don't you get it?" he says, and this time it's in Asriel's voice. "All I wanted, all I _ever_ wanted, was to _be_ Asriel again. I know I... I forgot, and I did bad things, but – I'm –" He looks up at you, Asriel's face, tears in his eyes. "I remember now, and I _want_ to be a good person! But it's so _hard_ , in this, this horrible place where everyone is so _evil_ , and I'm... I'm scared." He droops again. His petals curl inwards to rub away the tears. "You're... you're the only good thing still here, so please... please just..." He sobs, and folds in on himself even more. "I just want this all to end."

"So you're going to destroy the world, then?"

"NO!" Flowey shrieks. "I'll free everyone, okay! And then it'll be over, right? Right?!"

The elevator dings. The doors roll open, but you don't look at them.

"If you try to stop me, I'll fight you," you say.

"I won't."

"I'll win."

"I know."

You look up.

New Home is darker than you remember. The roads are still a brilliant golden hue, but instead of the pleasant, ambient light that seemed to come from all around, there are only lamps, tiny pinpricks of light along the street. It's like stepping into a starry night.

The final area stretching out before you... it fills you with **determination**.

You walk. The main streets are well-lit, but the shadows stretch all around, into little alleyways blanketed in pure darkness. Before long, some of those shadows detach themselves from those alleyways. You keep walking as if you don't notice, until they sweep around in front of you.

There are monsters of all kinds here – though you don't see any of the species from the Ruins. Interesting, when there were so many of them here last time. These look mostly like monsters from Waterfall and the Core, with a few mammalian monsters from Snowdin. There are clam monsters, fish monsters, lizard monsters, a dozen other strange configurations of body parts. Those that have teeth bare them, those that have eyes have a predatory glint to them.

"What do we have here?" one says, in the rasp of a petty criminal. "A human walking the streets like it owns the place. What do we think of that, Bob?"

"We don't like that at all, Fred." Is that – you look around. It is! A Temmie! He's wearing a top hat, a button-down jacket, and even a monocle – it's so over the top you can't help but laugh – but you'd recognize that face anywhere. "Oh, look, it thinks that's funny," Bob continues. "It thinks smearing its ugly mug over our beautiful city is some sort of game, does it?"

"I think we ought to teach it a lesson, Bob," says Fred. She – the voice is distinctly feminine – steps forward and you can see her more clearly now – she's a mouth-monster, a tiny, stubby body with a massive head that's almost entirely teeth. Fangs curl out from her mouth like whiskers, and she grins, exposing even more. "What do we do to humans in our city, friends?"

You raise your hands. "This isn't necessary. I just need to see Queen Toriel."

Fred laughs – her mouth barely moves, but the deep chuckle is perfectly audible. The rest of the crowd picks up the laugh, a cruel, low rumble, and they step forward menacingly. "Funny thing about the queen, human," Fred continues. "She doesn't like to be bothered. And she _really_ doesn't like to be bothered by the likes of you. So I'm thinking–" Around her, claws and weapons are being drawn, gleaming in the lamp-light. "–she won't mind if we cut you up first, eh?"

Flowey tenses beside you, and you groan. When you reload, you'll have to tell Alphys to –

" _ATTENTION! ATTENTION!_ " The monsters freeze in place as Alphys' voice rings out over the city. A siren blares, and the street lamps flash red. " _This is Royal Scientist Alphys speaking! Stand by for orders! U-um..._ " There's a shuffling noise, and then she continues: " _The human is currently en route to do battle with Her Grace Her Majesty Queen Toriel Dreemurr at the royal palace. Do not, I repeat DO NOT engage the human under any circumstances!_ " You let your face slip into a relieved smile. The monsters are chattering to one another in confusion. " _If you encounter the human, you are to let them pass through! That is an order!_ "

The monsters mutter, "What's going on?" but take a few hesitant steps back. Fred still blocks the way, her expression... well, unreadable. You step forward, smiling brightly. She appears to consider for a moment, then steps to the side.

"Have it your way, human," she growls. "But I better get to watch the show–"

" _Furthermore! All monsters in the Underground, I repeat ALL MONSTERS, are hereby recalled to the royal palace!_ "

Fred grins toothily. "Well, I guess everyone's happy then."

" _Yes, even you weirdos in the Ruins! Everyone is to come to the royal palace RIGHT NOW. Transportation will be provided!_ "

You walk. The gang of monsters fall in behind you.

The buildings press tighter as you get further into the city. You step up to a raised walkway, lit by bright lamps like tiny suns on each side. Houses twinkle below.

Last time, monsters practically threw themselves at you as you walked, to tell you the most important story they had. Now, they just watch with predatory silence. A few step into line with the group surrounding you, but they say nothing. The only sound is Alphys' staticy voice, playing on repeat. You purse your lips. Looks like you'll have to give them a little nudge to get things back on track. "What happened to the first human who fell down here?" you ask as if you don't already know.

"It died," a monster says to general sniggering. You wait a beat, but they don't continue.

"Please, I'd really like to know the full story."

Bob sneers at you. "And why should we give you anything you want?" He scoffs, a practiced upper-class _hoh!_.

"Eh," Fred says with less grandeur. "I like the story, and it's not like anything else is happenin'–"

Down a side street, an elevator dings. Out of it come monsters from Hotland: tsundereplanes, pyropes, vulkin, other inhabitants you're not familiar with. The planes zoom out immediately, passing just over peoples' heads to general alarm and shouting.

"Ugh, _Hotlanders?_ Who let them up here? They'll burn the whole place down!" Fred grumbles. Indeed, as the monsters lurch through the street they leave trails of flame and bubbling lava. Disgruntled guards follow behind to quell the flames, but the Hotlanders continue to amble without a care, oblivious to the crowd's discontent. If anything, they seem to be taking their time, covering every inch of the street...

"Do we _really_ have to let that awful rabble through here?" Bob moans. "Hotlanders are supposed to stay in Hotland, where everything's fireproof! The system is very clear on this point! And – oh no, they're letting them out _everywhere!_ " He points down the city below, where spastic red glows are appearing as soon as they're put out. "What is that pointdexter _thinking?!_ "

Fred sniffs. "She's a Hotlander herself, yaknow. Could be political or sumfin."

But that's as far as they go. No fights break out. The Hotlanders go their way and you go yours. The crowd is content to grumble amongst themselves, and before long they're back to their silent march, staring ahead towards the distant palace.

"So, the first human...?" you prompt again.

"Oh yeah," Fred says sheepishly. "Yeah, the first human fell down in the Ruins, as humans do. It got hurt, and was stupid enough to cry out for help. A monster came over to take the SOUL – and ah, deliver it to the queen in a completely selfless and patriotic manner, of course," she adds quickly. "Well, the human must've been faking, 'cause that monster got a nasty surprise. For this human was so strong, so full of hate for our kind, it could kill any monster in a single blow..."

"Wait, how do we know that if the monster got dusted?" a bird monster chimes in.

"Well someone must have been watching, _obviously_ ," Bob drawls. "Sensible thing to do, really. You can never trust humans." He sends a pointed glance in your direction.

"Hmm... right, so then..."

Another chime rings through the city, and the elevators open again. From the doors nearest you come – Temmies! With Undyne chasing you, you never had the chance to visit them. They crawl over each other like a living wave of bodies, slowly spreading out as they chatter their strange chatter.

" _Eugh!_ " Bob cries theatrically, wrinkling his face into an absurd picture of disgust. "Why must I walk the streets with such _riffraff?_ "

You stare at him in obvious bafflement, but he just continues sneering at you. "But... aren't _you_ a Temmie?"

" _What!_ " he bellows. He quivers with rage, his monocle rattling comically. "Don't compare me to those unwashed animals! I have _class!_ "

"Only 'cause you conned it offa some shmuck," someone quips, making the crowd snicker.

Bob – oh goodness, he's actually clutching his pearl necklace – quavers, "I-I'll have you know that was a legitimate business transaction! I have every right to be here!"

"Yeah nobody really cares, Bob," Fred says. "Let's just keep moving before we have to –" She shudders. "– _pet_ them."

The Temmies are starting to move vertically now too, you notice. They seem capable of finding even the smallest handhold in any wall. They bat at streetlamps and roof fixtures, knocking objects into the street with apparent delight. From the rear, other Waterfall monsters finally catch up. Angry-looking woshua blast the Temmies with sprays of water until they get back in line, chattering "nO!" and "bad plan bad pLAN" all the while. Sadly, your group doesn't seem inclined to let you meet them, and they fade from view as you're pushed onwards insistently.

Next up is Asgore's house. Or is it Toriel's house now? It's full of desks and weapon racks and other strange things, so maybe it's more of a guard post. The basement has a real gate on it, which the guards unlock grudgingly. They say nothing, but glare daggers as you pass between them. Your followers file through as well.

"So, then," you say.

"Huh? Oh right." Fred licks her... lips? With a massive, froglike tongue. "So yeah, this human, it was a real nasty one. Dust fell from its shoulders like snow, and the Underground nearly went empty. Only the monsters smart enough to flee from its steps as it came, _tap tap tap_ , only they survived."

"Monsters! Afraid of a _human!_ It wasn't right, wasn't right at all." Bob sniffs.

Fred grins wide. "Oh it wasn't. But now, we'll never fear humans again." You round a corner, and the palace comes into view, closer now. She spreads her arms wide. "The king just cowered and blubbered. He thought this was the end, the end for all of us. But the queen knew what to do. The human came to the palace, expecting an easy kill, and then..." She leans right up to your ear, so close she could snap your head off with a single bite. "And then..."

You nearly jump out of your skin when the elevators ring again. This time it's the Snowdin crowd. A few animal monsters rush out immediately and merge into the city crowds. You quickly see what they were so eager to get away from: the dog soldiers are in a frenzy, barking and jumping around madly. They're probably confused by all the new sights and smells, poor things. Tall, imposing armored guards yank them back with harsh metal chains for leashes that jangle as the dogs pull against them, spittle flying from sharp, long teeth.

"Oh noooo!" Bob wails. "The dogs are almost as bad as the Temmies! Can't the mutts go somewhere we don't have to look at them?"

"These streets are gonna stink for a while, that's for sure," Fred huffs. "Someone better clean up after this ruckus!"

The dogs are, indeed, getting moved to another street, away from you. They snap at anyone who comes close, every muscle straining. To your relief, you see Dogessa's alive – she's the only one standing upright, though she looks hunched and anxious. Her bloodshot eyes fix on you as they scan the city, and she tenses. You wonder if she's going to attack you, but after a second she turns away. She smacks a dog on the ear and leads them away.

The noise dies down. You ascend the steps in front of you, and find yourself in the judgement hall. It's exactly the same – the same except the light. No light streams down from the glass windows. Through the pane, all you can see is darkness. The hall is lit by lamp fixtures instead, evenly spaced along the walls. But the light they cast still gleams gold on the spotless tiles and ornate pillars.

Your pace slows when you're halfway across. You cast your eyes about, daring the shadows to move, hoping against hope that when you raise your eyes again he'll have always been there. Alphys could have been lying, or the report could have been faked, or he could have faked his death. He could have made it somehow. He could have.

Nobody comes. The space ahead of you remains empty. Behind, the monsters press you forward.

And then, you're here. The palace gates loom.

"The human came here, just like you," Fred says. "It went through the Ruins, Snowdin, Waterfall, Hotland, and then it marched right up to the gates. It thought it was invincible. _And it died._ "

From behind you, monsters speak in rhythm, as if reciting an intonation: "And Queen Toriel took its SOUL."

"And from that day forth, we have had hope."

"And now, our day of glory has come at last."

"Queen Toriel will let us win."

"Queen Toriel will give us justice."

" _Queen Toriel will save us all._ "

You smile.

The monsters don't seem to know how to react to that. "What – why are you smiling?" Fred spits it with indignation, as if it's a personal offense. "Aren't you scared? Are you _stupid?_ "

Flowey has been quiet this whole time. You glance down at him. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," he says softly. He looks distant.

You are filled with **determination**.

The gates yield to your touch. You step forward, and immediately you feel a sense of vertigo. The world suddenly looks darker, fainter. Everything except the figure in front of you.

She looks different than when you saw her on the monitor. There is an eye-watering _brightness_ to her, as if she is real and everything else is but a figment of a dream in comparison. She sits like a singluarity, drawing the world into herself. But the image isn't perfect. Her body doesn't appear to be all there – her limbs are warped and strange, as if they don't match up with everything else. They flicker around the edges and seem to float independently, detached, but you can't tell for sure. Something in you _hurts_ if you focus on them for too long. Her head is a true goat's head, now, with none of the comforting human features she had before. Her huge eyes bore into you, blocky pitch-black pupils like windows into Hell. Her face is long, too long for a goat. It reaches for you, toothy, like a dragon's maw.

She is very big.

"Well, well. You have been busy. Making my soldiers look like fools. But your journey ends here." She raises a hand. It has too many fingers, like you're seeing two hands at once, but then you blink and it looks normal. "I only wish to know one thing: What did you do to Alphys? Speak."

That... wasn't what you were expecting. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything to her."

You are suddenly blind with pain. You taste smoke. You shriek and clutch your face, spasming in agony. It's burning hot to the touch, and you can feel burnt skin crisp and crumble under your fingers like paper. After a moment the pain subsides to a bearable throb, but still sharp as knives. When you pull your hands away, your face feels uneven. You can't feel the left side at all. You breathe in thin, shallow gasps.

"I will ask you one more time. How did you coerce Alphys into this scheme?"

You blink back the tears in your remaining eye, and stumble to your feet, shaking. "I just..." You hiss. Talking is painful. You breathe carefully, and try again: "I... told her... there was another way to break the barrier."

There's just the sound of your breathing for a moment. It's hard to tell if Toriel changes expression, but she seems satisfied with that. She hums thoughtfully. "I can believe that. Oh, Alphys, always the optimist..." She... stands up? Was she kneeling down before? Some part of her distends, and she's somehow taller, or maybe just more imposing. "A shame that I must disappoint her. But your trickery ends now, human. Death shall be your only reward."

You try to speak. "Queen To–"

"I told you to hold your tongue."

 **8**

 **What just happened?**

 **You were standing in front of Toriel, bracing yourself for an attack, and then...**

 **She didn't even move.**

 **This might be a bit difficult.**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

The gates yield to your touch.

"Well, well. You have been busy. Making my soldiers look like fools. But your journey ends here."

You think. What's your plan here, exactly? Flowey needs to absorb the SOULs, and for that everyone needs to be in proximity... don't they? The Ruins monsters were drawn in too, and they weren't anywhere near the battle. Flowey had Asgore and Toriel grappled, was that necessary? If you have to wear her down, that'll be trickier... but you should be able to do it. This is just another battle, another set of attacks you can learn to predict.

"I only wish to know one thing: What did you do to Al... phys..."

Toriel's voice suddenly gutters and trails off. For a long moment, she is completely still, her face blank. You say nothing.

"No... you... already told me...?" Her voice has none of its booming authority anymore. She wrinkles her brow, as if she's confused at her own words. You're not entirely sure what's going on here, yourself, but something has changed. You hold your tongue.

Something flickers in Toriel's eyes. "Yes... you..." Her voice suddenly rises in volume, and she's back to her queenly demeanor. "You told her there was another way out. Appealed to her idealism. Yes, I am certain of this."

You expect her to say something more, but she just narrows her eyes at you. Acting mostly on intuition, you leap to the side and a bolt of lightning splits the air where you just were standing. The sound feels like it's split your head open too, but fortunately that's not literal this time. You gulp air.

So she's gone straight for the offensive, okay. You see if you can keep her talking. "U-uh, don't you wanna know why –"

"No."

 **8**

 **There is is again! There was a faint sense of heat, and then...**

 **And then you were here.**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

"Is there anything I need to do, other than buy time?"

"Uh... hm." Flowey looks thoughtful. "I got a good look at her, she's... strange. She's holding the human SOULs really tightly, I'm not sure if I can just grab them. Maybe..." He hums to himself.

"Could the SOULs rebel?"

"Like they did with me? Yeah, that might be our..." His brow creases. "No, no... this isn't like Asgore. She's already absorbed them, and she's been that way for a long time. If they could overpower her, it'd have happened already. But maybe we could do something about that... distract her maybe? Hmmm..."

"Whatcha waitin' for?" a heckler cries from the crowd. "We were promised a roastin'!"

That _is_ a point. "What if we just wait here?" you whisper to Flowey. "Maybe we don't have to fight her at all. Will you have a better shot if we wait for the Ruins monsters to show up?"

Flowey looks like he's calculating something. "Maybe. Uh..."

The gates swing open unbidden. Flowey squeaks and vanishes, and your legs drag you forward of their own accord. You can't avoid this battle. You can feel it in your SOUL.

"You were taking too long," Toriel says by way of explanation. "You should be ash by now."

You take a gamble. "How did you know that?"

"I just... knew..." Her voice erodes and she gets that confused look, but only for a second this time. "And... you told Alphys you knew another way out. That is how you convinced her to help with your scheme. I know that too..."

This isn't right. You feel cold sweat run down your back. "U-uh, that, uh, that s-sounds, uh... are you sure..."

She snaps her fingers. You instinctively flinch, but no attack follows. "Yes, I understand now! This must not be the first time we have fought. You 'reloaded', as Alphys called it. And as I suspected, the determination in these human SOULs grants me resistance to the time distortion. I _knew_ today felt too long, hah hah." She grins, pleased.

You fight the urge to groan. Today is really not your day.

"If you know I can reload you know this is pointless! You've already killed me twice!" That didn't work against Asgore, even in the nice universe, but anything's worth a shot.

"Truly? Then let us make it thrice."

That's so obvious you dodge the attack easily. It's the lightning bolt, again. The noise makes your ears ring, and the static makes all your hairs stand on end. How did she do that so fast? There has to be a tell, there always is. She's looking at you again – somehow, it feels like she's _always_ looking at you, no matter where you are – and you leap back –

 _TOO SLOW OH GOD TOO SLOW OH GOD IT HURTS OH GOD OH GOD WHAT JUST HAPPENED_

The light stops and you look down at your arm...

...your arm _bones_ , hanging limply at your side, blackened to charcoal.

You scream, more from shock than pain. The line is freakishly clean, only a few scraps of blackened flesh still clinging to your upper arm. You couldn't sense it. You couldn't sense it. You couldn't se

 **8**

 **"...I refuse."**

 **8**

The gates yield.

"You can't stop me. You've already killed me –"

"...Three times." There's just a hint of uncertainty in her voice, and a hint of a smile as your scowl confirms her count. "Three times, yes. I can feel it. The more I focus, the clearer my recall becomes. I become stronger as your strength wanes. _You_ cannot stop _me_."

You twist on some instinct and dodge the brunt of the flame – she doesn't open with the lightning this time. But this time the fire fans out, washing over you in a scorching wave. You raise your hands to shield your face, and scream as they are crisped red and black. There was – something, that time. Even Asriel at the height of his power had a tell. You just have to find it.

"I'll come back," you gasp. Your hands are shaking. Every second is laced with burning pain. "I'll keep coming back until I win! Just let me through!"

–That's it! Magic in the air. But it's happening... somewhere else...?

You look up just in time. Suspended above is a great ball of fire, burning like a tiny sun. Flame streams down from it like hail. You scramble around the bursts, but it's like trying to dodge raindrops. The fire crawls where it hits like a biting worm, eating away at your skin. The flames keep burning even as they drop to the ground, inexhaustible, until everything is lit by their ghostly blue light. They're everywhere, rising all around you, hotter and hotter, and then everything is searing white –

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

The gates yield.

"I have killed you four times, now."

"I can really do it. I can free everyone," you say.

"So can I." The spell comes fast, but you're getting better at dodging her attacks. The fire fans out again, blossoming like a flower, but this time you're able to weave through the fireballs with only minor burns. "You think your determination is inexhaustible. I imagine you tell yourself that 'hope springs eternal', or some such thing. Hah!" Flames flare to life again, but this time they condense into long, wicked spears... no, more like tridents, the heads splitting into jets of blue-white fire. "But I know the truth. You think you are the first I have fought? You think you are special? No. I ground their determination to dust, speck by speck, and you will be no different." A slight flicker passes over her body – or maybe the whole world? – and...

You run forward, just in time. These tridents aren't mere projectiles like Undyne's spears. At Toriel's command, they burst into rays of burning light, like – like laser cannons or something! Only one's going off at a time, but you're completely surrounded and you can't outrun –

One hits you, hard. The heat drills into your back and you collapse, twitching. Agony shoots through your whole body in pulses. You try to push yourself upright, but your arm collapses under you. It's bleeding, something must have cut it... you need to heal yourself, food...

"Pathetic."

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

The gates yield.

"I can feel it," Toriel breathes. "Every time you die, your hold on the timeline weakens. Every time you die, my power grows."

This doesn't worry you. Asriel said the same thing, a lifetime ago, but it wasn't true then and it isn't true now. The fire flower erupts again, and you avoid its flames without a scratch.

You spread your arms out, imploringly. "Your son wouldn't want this!"

Toriel freezes. The fires go out. For a long moment, she just stares at you with an unreadable expression. "Your son wouldn't want this," you repeat. "This isn't–"

" _What_ are you babbling about?" Toriel snaps. "I have no children."

You stumble. The words die in your throat. She must be... she must be talking metaphorically or...

"Uh uh uh," you stutter. "I-I mean, you don't have one _now_ , but I mean, before, he, he was... I know it hurts but you shouldn't do this just because they did that to him, he wouldn't want you to do this..." Your voice trails off. You stare into the impassive head above you. Toriel is completely still.

Then, slowly, softly: "You are mad." She says it with wonder, as if she has just solved a great mystery. "Of course. Why else would you behave as you have done? Believing that there can be compromise between us. Treating everyone as if they are puzzles to be solved. Thinking that I am foolish enough to divide my power while the war still continues. Human, I have _never_ had children."

" _WHAT?!_ " Flowey is suddenly beside you, his eyes bulging in terror. "No that's impossible no no _no NO NO NO!_ "

His shriek is silenced with a flash of blue, and then only ash remains.

You think you have it now. She's fast, but you felt the spell just before it triggered _there it is again –_

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

Okay. Okay. That wasn't what you expected.

"Wh, wh, wha..." Flowey is hyperventilating beside you.

"I think I've figured out how to dodge her attacks," you say. "I'm pretty sure I can outlast her until the Ruins monsters get here."

"Sh-she, she s-said..."

"Will you be ready when –"

"She just said I DON'T EXIST!" Flowey shrieks, looking up at you for the first time. His face looks... very, very wrong. His dot-eyes have expanded to swallow half his face, and the rest is... melting or something, the features are shifting around and disintegrating like a glitched computer model. The rest of his body is trembling. "I, I don't, I don't know what t-to, I don't know what..."

"That can't be true," you say, but your voice lacks confidence. "She must have been lying."

"No!" Flowey wails, and tears suddenly gush out from his eyes as if they're portals into some water-world. His voice keens higher and higher. "It's t-true, I _know_ , I knew since I came here I always knew I just didn't want to admit–!" He cuts into a choked sob and starts hyperventilating again.

"Well..." You reach your hand out to him, hesitantly. He just keeps sobbing. He's... really upset. It makes you want to comfort him, but... this is _Flowey_. "I... mean..." You swallow, and try to speak up. "You're still here, so you must have beaten any time paradoxes or... whatever..."

He shakes his head. "I'm not supposed to be here. This world doesn't _want_ me here. I felt it, I thought it was just the normal emptiness but it's not, it's, I feel so..."

The gates yield, and so do you.

"You will not evade me," Toriel booms. "I have killed you"–the tiniest hesitation–"six times, now. And as for your accomplice..."

A flare erupts to your side. Flowey dodges it, but not without a shriek of pain – he must have suffered a glancing blow before disappearing into the... floor, presumably. It's hard to focus on anything but Toriel. The details swim and fade from your awareness. The fire sweeps out again, and again you avoid it. Toriel makes a frustrated snort.

"Why are you doing this?" you say, but your heart's not in it anymore. It's just a distraction, just buying time. "You know I haven't hurt anyone. Why won't you–"

"Does your chatter never cease?" Toriel spits. Her huge lips pull back in a twisted grimace. "I tire of this."

You expect a magical attack, but instead her arm sweeps out, slicing you painfully along the jaw. You stagger and touch your mouth, but you're not bleeding much, most of the damage must have been blunt. You step back and there's... something coming... a spell, but it's like it's... inside you...?

A searing pain suddenly burns in your mouth. You open it to cry, and all that comes out is blood. Blood, heavy blood is everywhere, you're _drowning_ in it like when Asgore cut your throat, but there's still something sharp, like hooks in your tongue, _pulling_...

You feel something tear. You double over in blinding agony, hacking and retching as _something_ falls out of you with a sickening _plop_. Gasping, you pry your eyes open to see your tongue, an ugly red wormlike thing, sitting in a steaming pile of blood. You retch again.

"That is _much better_."

You stagger back. Your tongue is still bleeding. You can feel the blood oozing and dribbling out of your mouth. Have to keep... keep moving – _there!_ A blast of fire shoots out like a flamethrower, then sweeps. You stay ahead of it, though your mouth is agony with every breath. You spit up more blood. Toriel summons her tridents again, right in front of you. You awkwardly reverse direction just in time to avoid the first blast, but the second hits you right in the chest.

And... somehow you're not dead. You know, because you're in a lot of pain. Your whole torso burns with every movement. Wet, bubbling noises come from your throat.

Toriel's arm swipes at you again and you somehow roll out of the way, your body shrieking in protest the whole way. Something else sweeps in from the corner of your eye and you're being picked up anyway because... oh, right. She has _two_ arms. You dangle in the air, held up by your left arm. What is she doing? You picture her crushing you and shudder, but the grip doesn't intensify. Instead she raises her other arm toward you, palm out. She's charging a spell, but there's no way to dodge.

You are bathed in flame. All you can see is blue and white and _pain_. Such a concentrated blast should kill you instantly but you can feel the heat _carving your skin away_ –

"Oh. Does that hurt, human?" The heat is suddenly only uncomfortable, making you gasp from the shock. The air scours at your exposed flesh, as sharp as any blade or magic. Yes, you want to say, it hurts, please, make it stop, but all that comes out of your mouth is blood. "You want this to end? Then end it. End this charade. Give me your SOUL." The flames become searing again and you scream. "This is your only purpose. Embrace it. Embrace death."

The flames vanish. You shudder again, and just barely make out a thin vine constricting Toriel's arm. She looks at it with mild curiosity, then effortlessly slices it with her other arm, dropping you in the process. The floor is pain. Everything is pain. Then everything is slightly less pain. You see a comforting green glow.

"They're almost here," Flowey whispers frantically. "Please just hold out a little longer!"

There's the tingle of magic, but you don't even try to move. Flame sweeps over you again, and this time Toriel doesn't hold back.

 **8**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You hesitate to open the gates this time. You feel the comforting presence of your tongue in your mouth, and take the time to run it over all of your teeth. You take deep breaths.

"Heal me sooner this time."

"I'm s-sorry. She's so fast, and, and I still don't know if I can..." He swallows and breathes heavily. "I want to go home, Frisk."

The gates yield to your touch. Flowey burrows.

"I have killed you seven times, now. An auspicious number. I think this will be the last time."

It will be. You're determined to make it so.

No talking this time. Talking was never going to work. It didn't work against her before. No, even in the original timeline, the monsters didn't listen to you much, did they? Not Toriel or Papyrus or Undyne or Mettaton or Asgore or Flowey or Asriel. You didn't need words then. Just to duck and weave.

Focus.

Toriel opens with a wide sweep of flame this time. You duck.

Toriel summons a blue flower, blossoming in rings of fire. You weave.

Toriel summons tridents. You dodge.

Toriel summons a rain of fire. One fireball hits, but you keep moving. The flames persist when they reach the ground, but only the ones closest to you, you notice. You jump away when Toriel makes them flare, and she isn't able to keep it up.

Toriel growls, and you feel something big coming. You sidestep the lightning bolt, but with a sweep of Toriel's hand another blast arcs out of the spot and shocks you. You spasm and stumble forward.

Toriel grabs for you and _no_ you're not doing that again. You contort yourself painfully, awkwardly reversing your momentum to drop and roll out of her reach. She lets out a frustrated howl and blasts you with fire. You dodge.

And again.

Your breaths are coming hard and your limbs are aching, but you feel more hope with every second. You can't keep this up forever, but you don't need to. Toriel has a lot of spells but, you're starting to see, she doesn't apply them with any creativity. She's fast and strong, but you've figured her out. You can stay a step ahead.

Dodge.

Hope.

Dream.

A quick burst of fire grazes along your arm. Her face twisted in fury, she raises her hand for another attack.

And then you hear, over the blood rushing in your ears, the palace gates slam open.

Toriel's face freezes in abject shock, her mouth parting open. You turn, and _yes_ , finally, they're all here. Asgore sweeps into the room, cape flowing behind him. Despite the pain, you feel a smile growing on your face. You did it! You won!

 **8**

 **What.**

 **Just.**

 **Happened?**

 **She attacked you when your back was turned. She must've.**

 **That's so... so** ** _unfair!_** **You won! You had won, it was over! Argh!**

 **You hate this.**

 **"I refuse."**

 **8**

You dally as long as you can outside, just to spite her.

"I have killed you seven..." Her expression flickers. "...Eight? Eight times. Yes. You cannot win."

You can win. You win without getting hit even once. It's _easy_. She never loses control, not even as she gets angrier and angrier at you. She probably thinks that's a strength, but it just makes her rigid, predictable. She never makes any desperate, unusual moves. You know all her tricks.

Including this one: when the doors open and she freezes in shock, this time you don't turn around. You reach into your pocket for the sharp stick you've always had but never used, and with one fluid motion slash it across her body. She cries out, and suddenly color bleeds everywhere, purple and teal and yellow and blue and red.

" _Now!_ "

Flowey's already on it. In the blink of an eye vines are everywhere, wrapping around everyone. Toriel looks furious but she won't be fast enough _(you hope)_ before Flowey focuses and...

* * *

The world crashes back into existence and you gasp gratefully, feeling the air enter your lungs, feeling that reassurance that you are real, you are here, you are _somewhere_ and not _nowhere_.

And he's here, too. He has his back to you, but you'd know him anywhere. A green-and-yellow striped sweater, snow-white fur with those long ears.

"Asriel."

He doesn't react when you say his name. Your chest tightens and you suddenly have a horrible thought.

 _All the good people became evil._

This is it. This is where he betrays you.

Slowly, your fingers curl around the stick again.

And Asriel breaks down in tears.

One instant he was just standing there, and the next he's on his knees, wailing with loud, ugly sobs that wrack his whole body.

"Asriel?" You pocket the stick and run over to him. He's doubled over, face buried in his huge hands. He's crying so hard he can only breathe in short, ragged gasps between sobs. You touch him gingerly, and he recoils as if burned. He's trembling horribly. He falls over trying to back away, still covering his face. "Asriel, it's... it's just me. It's okay now."

Asriel wipes his face and chokes back another sob. He haltingly gathers himself up to sit on his knees, then hugs himself tightly. He's shaking like a reed in the wind. "N-n-n-no..." He just stays like that for several moments, until his breaths become more even. He raises his head to look at you in abject terror. "Your friends... my, my _pa-parents_..." That opens the floodgates again. He sobs even louder. "How, how c-could they... b-be like that, they, I, I..."

You sit there for a while, watching him rock himself and cry. You give the only reassurance you can: "It's going to be over soon, Asriel. You just have to–"

"I want to be Flowey again."

The words are barely a squeak, but they ring louder than anything in this space. It's followed by silence. Asriel's holding his breath.

"You... what?"

"This is... too much. I can't..." He looks up at you again, tears shining. "It was so much easier when I was Flowey!" he shouts out suddenly. "I didn't have to think or, c-care about anything. I thought I wanted this but it, it hurts s-so much..."

"You can't mean that–"

" _Listen to me!_ " There's a fire to his words now, raw emotion in his eyes that wasn't there with Flowey. You're taken aback. "I just had to watch my _mom_... or s-something that _looked_ like my mom... I just saw her _torture_ you! For _fun!_ And m-my dad, and Undyne, and Dogessa and Dogamy, and everyone...! They were my _friends!_ They were _your_ friends! And... something _happened_ to them, _did_ something to them, to make them do those horrible things! They look like my friends but they're _not_ , they're some horrible twisted _things_ , everything's broken and horrible and h-how do you e-even know it'll ever go back to...!" His voice breaks and he sobs again.

"It _will_ go back to normal," you insist. "We can fix it. We just have to finish–"

" _You don't know that!_ " Asriel wails. " _How can you possibly know that?!_ "

"I just do, okay!"

"Haven't you thought maybe this is something bigger than either of us, something toying with us or, or, what if _this_ is the r-real world and our lives were just a, a..." He can't finish it. His voice chokes. He takes another breath and squeaks, "If that's true, then... I don't want to face it as Asriel. I can't. Feeling nothing... is better than this."

You close your eyes, and breathe out slowly. Well, this is a disaster. Leave it to Flowey to ruin everything. If only he hadn't remembered...

"Look," you say. "Let's just break the barrier, and see what happens from there. Okay? Maybe everything will–"

"How are you so calm about this?" Asriel's voice is tight, almost accusatory. Somehow, his stare is even more penetrating than the God of Hyperdeath's now. "They're _your_ friends too. Don't you... don't you care? Aren't you worried? This whole time, you've acted like nothing's wrong, like you... like you already knew what was going to happen..." His brow furrows in concentration.

No. No no no. He'll never forgive you if he figures out this is your fault.

"I-I'm an optimist, okay!" you squeak, and mentally slap yourself at how pathetic that was. "I knew that no matter what happened, I could handle it! And I was right, see! We're at the end, we're going to save everyone, and nobody's... I haven't hurt anyone! So _trust me_ , okay!"

Asriel stares at you. He sniffs, and wipes tears away. "You want to break the barrier?"

"Uh... yes? Obviously?"

"And then... you can fix the world? You're sure?"

"Yes."

Asriel breaks his gaze and stares at the ground instead. He mumbles something.

"What?"

"Do we... really need to break the barrier first?"

You balk. "Yes," you say after a moment's bafflement. "Yes, we do."

"...Why?"

You stare at him. He still isn't looking at you. "Be... because it's the right thing to do!" Asriel flinches.

"I just... I just think, these monsters, um, d-don't you think... maybe we... shouldn't..."

"Why are you fighting me on this?" You stand up, towering over the cowering boy. "You agreed! We're going to break the barrier!" You grit your teeth. So it's coming down to this after all? "Do I need to–"

"No!" Asriel quails. He's scuttering away from you, and crying again. "I'll, I'll do it okay we don't need to fight please don't hurt me I..." He curls in on himself and sobs.

God, he's... he's really just a kid. You suddenly feel really bad. You put the stick away – when did you draw it? – and immediately deflate. "Alright," you sigh. "Alright, I'm sorry. Let's just get this over with."

Asriel looks up at you, still terrified. Slowly, he crawls to his feet. He gives you one last look over his shoulder, full of hurt and confusion that makes your heart ache, and then he turns away.

You remember the breaking of the barrier as a breathtaking, beautiful moment, the souls dancing with light and color as the barrier slowly fractured to let in the light of day. But now it just looks rote, businesslike, checking a box. The SOULs fly out. They flash.

And then you're back.

The monsters reappear, dazed and blinking in the new light.

Toriel's eyes immediately snap into focus. She's back to normal, now, like you saw her in the video screen earlier. She gasps and clutches her chest, then looks over her body in horror. "My... my SOULs... where are..." Her gaze turns to you, full of rage and fear. "A trick. A trick!" she booms. Her arm lances out at you, accusing. "I knew we could not trust you! Where are they?! _What have you done?!_ " Her voice breaks at the end with a high note of terror, but her expression is still so frightening you take a step back. You put your hands up reflexively.

"Asriel released them, but–"

"No. NO!" She lunges forward and lifts you up by your sweater, her bloodshot eyes inches from your face. Phantom flames dance around her hand, the heat uncomfortable on your face. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE JUST DONE?!"

"You don't need them," you say quickly, trying to remain calm in the face of her terrible rage. "I can, the humans, I'll, you don't–"

"Who cares!" Undyne's voice. "The barrier's open! We can get all the SOULs we want now!"

You see her prance towards the exit, hunger in her expression. Toriel's head snaps to her. " _No!_ " She drops you to the floor, and in an instant she's at the cavern mouth, the afternoon light haloing around her. "No one can leave as we are now!"

Undyne snarls and summons her spear. "I knew it," she spat. "It was all a lie! You want to trap us here forever!"

"You do not understand!" Toriel talks rapidly, her careful, regal speech unfurling into warbling shrieks. "The humans, they are too strong! With the SOULs I could have protected you, but we need a, a plan of action –"

"How's this for a plan of action, _Tori_ –" Asgore advances slowly and the crowd parts before him, some bowing uncertainly. He steps close to Toriel and throws his arm out. "You give me back my throne, and I give my people what they _want_ –"

"Asgore, you _selfish, stupid coward!_ " Toriel bellows. " _You were there!_ How many times did their swords pierce your flesh? How many times did I have to drag you back from the jaws of death? How many of ' _your people_ ' were dusted for your ego?!"

Asgore rumbles. "It will be different this time –"

"Oh? Oh, yes, it will be different!" Toriel snaps. "What army will you fight with, Asgore?" She sweeps her arm in a wild arc, addressing the assembled crowd. "This pale shadow of what we once were? Monsters who have not fought a human in centuries?"

"Maybe you've forgotten," Undyne snarls to her side, "sitting up here in your gilded cage, but we _have_ fought humans –"

She takes a step forward and twitches her spear threateningly. A mistake; Toriel whirls on Undyne with blinding speed, twisting her arm until her spear fizzes before flinging her bodily down at Asgore's feet, right in front of you. You squeak and back away.

"You. Do not. _Understand_ ," Toriel hisses through gritted teeth. "The human you fought was a child – a _child!_ And maybe _you_ have forgotten, captain, but I remember every single one of my subjects they killed because _you_ were too slow to stop them!" She looks up at the crowd, and it withers under her gaze. Asgore stands firm, but does not move forward to challenge her. "A _child_ did that to us!" she roars. "You have not seen what humans are capable of, have not tasted their true steel – and oh yes, things are different now! Alphys has seen what weapons they have devised while we fought for scraps in the shadows: guns that shoot fire and death, bombs that raze entire cities! We cannot fight that!"

There's a moment's pause. You try to use it. "They won't use –"

Asgore kicks you in the stomach. The force flings you across the cavern, and you double over in pain.

"What would you have us do, then?" he says. "Cower here and wait for seven SOULs again?"

You stagger to your feet and gasp for breath. Toriel hesitates, and that's all the admission the crowd needs. An angry rumble ripples through the assembled monsters, and they advance threateningly, jeering and shouting.

"We have waited long enough!"

"The barrier's open! Let's just walk out!"

"I stand with the true king!"

Toriel silences them with a flashy gout of flame. It's only a warning shot, but the heat still leaves you coughing. The crowd recoils, but Asgore stands firm, expression smug.

"Please, my subjects – my people!" Toriel's voice is firm and steady again. "I know... we do not have much here. I yearn for the sunlight too. But we can still have a good life here! We are _safe_ here." Her hands clench, and her voice trembles with restrained emotion. "I have only ever wanted to keep you safe. Can you not see that? The humans... I have seen what they are capable of." Her expression hardens. "They will tear us limb from limb. They will kill us for sport. There will be no second chances this time. They will kill us _all._ "

"You would have us give up before we have even begun!" Asgore snaps. "This –" He sweeps his arms expansively, taking in the crowd, the cavern, the whole mountain. "– this waiting, this cowering under the earth, this is not who we are!" He raises his fist triumphantly. "We are _monsters!_ We fight, we kill, we take what we want!" Undyne roars her assent, and behind her, the crowd cheers. Asgore sweeps his arm down to point at Toriel in challenge. "And if you stand in our way, false queen, we will kill you too!"

No no no, not again –

"If you would cast aside their lives so easily, you are no true king!" Toriel spits with venom. "And _you!_ " She glares at the crowd, but this time they don't back down. "After everything I have done for you! How long I have waited, how much I have given up to keep you alive!" Flames glow around her, flickering ghosts against the corona of sunlight at her back. "I have fought you for the throne before, Asgore, and I will fight you again!"

"STOP!"

You finally find your voice, and jump in between the boss monsters. Toriel looks panicked for a moment, and douses her flames. "You don't have to fight! The humans won't hurt you!"

"Lies," Toriel barks instantly. "We have had enough of your manipulations, scoundrel –"

"We don't even remember you! I didn't even know monsters existed before I came here! We thought they were just stories..."

"Lies, again. I have seen your media, human, you are still preparing for war –"

"W-wait! Um, hold on, coming through–!"

Alphys staggers through the crowd, huffing and puffing. When she gets to the front she bends over, breathing heavily. She's still wearing her lab coat, but it's grubbier than when you last saw it. "Your, Your Grace..." She takes another moment to catch her breath, the stands up – or as much as she can, anyway. She's still hunched. "I think I... believe the human?"

Toriel pinches her nose and shakes her head. "Oh, Alphys, you and your _theories_..."

"B-but, I've been getting m-more and more d-data lately, a-a-and, I think it... matches up? I-I mean, the TV shows and stuff, they really could just be –" She turns suddenly, and snatches Asgore's arm, suddenly alight with flame. You turn, and realize he's just behind you. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU YOU IDIOT!"

Asgore blinks and looks at her in utter disbelief, then snarls. The flames get hotter, and you pull Alphys away just as a fireball explodes in your face. You're disoriented for a second, but then the pain fades – you open your eyes to see Alphys performing some healing spell on you, looking nervous.

"No! Do not try to harm the human! That is what it wants!" Toriel is saying. "They have unprecedented determination, you –" She huffs, and her voice becomes clipped again. "Agh, this is so _you_ , Asgore! Always charging in without a thought!"

"At least I'm doing _something_ –"

"It's true... Your Majesty," Undyne cuts in. Her eye flicks to you, angry. "I fought the human. It does not die when it is killed. We have no choice but to hear it out."

"Oh, really?" Asgore scoffs. "Let's hear it, then!"

"The humans won't hurt you," you say again. "Especially not if I'm with you. I can talk to them, we can work things out..." You step back from Asgore's massive bulk, and address all the monsters. "I know you've been scared, all this time... but you don't have to fight anymore! We can get along, I know it!" You turn to Toriel, still a stern silhouette against the exit. "So please! Please, give it a chance!"

Toriel appears to consider this, but says nothing. Alphys sidles up to her. "Your Grace... it is true that this human has not harmed a single monster since they came here." Her eyes flick to you. "U-um, a-as far as I can t-tell. All the chaos w-was from the capture attempts. Maybe... maybe humanity really has changed...?"

Toriel looks at her strangely, then up at the assembled crowd. She opens and closes her mouth several times, but says nothing. There is a breath of silence, and then she sighs, heavily, her stern posture crumbling. "It seems... I do not have a choice." There is a deafening cheer from the crowd, but it dies down when she holds up a hand. " _However_. I still do not like this. We will proceed with caution. Everyone is to stay together, soldiers in front."

"Yes! Yes, whatever, just let us out!" The crowd rumbles assent.

"And you." She steps forward and grabs your hand, tightly. "You are not to leave my sight."

"I demand to walk in front!" Asgore barks, almost petulantly. "I am the king! I must be the first monster the humans see!"

Toriel rolls her eyes. "Yes, of course. You may take the human's other hand." His grip is like a vice.

You walk into the light.

It is a beautiful afternoon sunset. The sun hangs low in the sky, painting the clouds gold and pink. Below you, the mountain slopes gently downwards, into sprawling forest. It is early autumn, the leaves just starting to turn in a pleasant panorama of of green, red, and gold. You notice that Asgore and Toriel have stopped to take in the scenery too, their age-old rivalry forgotten. You take a deep breath of the fresh air, and they do too. Then the moment has passed, and you continue.

The descent happens quickly. The mountain paths are ancient and overgrown, but the dog monsters use their earth magic to carve shortcuts and remove obstacles. On either side of you, Toriel and Asgore march evenly.

You think back to another place, another lifetime, where you walked the same path. The monarchs held your hands gently then, and they laughed as you skipped through the foliage and swung from their strong arms, so full of energy. Now, you just feel tired. Your companions do not look at you or each other, and they clench your hands tightly, just on the edge of discomfort.

You shake your head to disperse the memory. There's no point in thinking about that now. This is what you chose, and you'll see it through to the end.

The sun has dipped into the horizon by the time the human city comes into view. The sky has turned a deep red and gold, mirroring the foliage below. It's perfect.

There's no formal boundary to the city, not on this side. Toriel is nervous about that – the way she clenches your hand even tighter makes that _painfully_ clear – but you know it'll be okay. A little farther, and you come upon a small park, with houses and storefronts in the distance across the street. It's nice and open, so the monsters don't have to pack together to get through. Perfect.

People are milling about on afternoon business. They stop dead in their tracks as the monsters approach, gawking. Toriel and Asgore are breathing heavily, now. You smile. It's only a little forced.

You tell your story, and everything happens like it did before. There is no fighting, no arguing, some people hang back but they're just cautious, more and more are pouring into the park and it's okay, everything's okay now. You can almost cry from relief. You've won.

Someone comes closer and walks up to Toriel. They're a teenager, can't be older than fourteen. They're smiling, no fear at all. They reach for Toriel's hand and she lets them take it. "Wow!" they say, stroking her fur in wonder. "You know – I had always kinda hoped monsters were real! You guys are so cool!"

Toriel is still as a statue, but she glances up, at the crowd cheering assent. They're mostly kids and teenagers, a few adults hanging at the back. They're all chattering eagerly. Some move closer to take pictures. Toriel finally lets go of your hand, and laughs.

And laughs.

She throws her head back and _howls_ , sharp, bellowing laughter that moves the crowd to silence. You see tears run from her eyes before she crushes her hands against her face. She doubles over the laughter breaks into something not quite a sob, not quite a wail.

She's silent for a breath, then drops her hands back to her sides. She is grinning, madly.

"All this time. All this time, I thought –" She laughs again, a lighter, chiming sound. "All that time I wasted, and there was nothing to fear!" The humans are still smiling, but there's an uncertain edge to it now.

"Yes!" you say quickly. "See, I told you – everything's fine, so now we can all –"

"Asgore," Toriel says to her husband, ignoring you. She chuckles, a queenly, controlled sound. "It seems I owe you an apology." She looks back at the human and snaps her arm out, grabbing them by the throat. "Allow me to make it up to you."

The teenager bursts into flames.

There's screaming. You can't make out your own from everyone else's. Suddenly everything starts to move at once, humans and monsters running madly around the park. In a panic you grab Toriel's arm – it burns – but someone yanks you by the collar and flings you away. You roll and jump to your feet, just in time to see Toriel plunge her hand into the human's chest. She tears out the blue heart and swallows it like a wolf.

"To think –" She laughs. "To think I contented myself with _seven_ SOULs!" She sweeps her arm out. "Canines, box them in! Tonight, we _feast!_ "

The ground shakes, and towers of earth erupt along the streets, cutting off any escape. Some people try to jump over the walls as they rise, and are suddenly impaled on spikes, blood spraying everywhere. Everyone is screaming and running, the monsters are chasing the humans, trampling them, pinning them against walls, a dog jumps on a man and tears out his throat – it's, it's too much, it's too fast, you can't do anything, everywhere people are dying and you're just sitting here useless –

You see Asgore pass by. Before you even know what you're doing you fling yourself at him, screaming and sobbing. He cries out and stumbles, releasing the human he was holding.

" _Why?!_ " you shriek. "They weren't going to hurt you! You could have been friends! You could have lived together and been happy! _That's the way this is supposed to go!_ "

He rises, and before you can move he's knocked you down and pinned you with his foot on your throat. You make a hollow, gasping sound.

He laughs cruelly. "What – you _really_ thought we'd let them go? You thought we'd _make friends?_ You really _don't_ know anything about monsters!" He sneers at you, his face dancing in the flames. "We are made to fight, to kill. We _take_ what is _ours!_ "

Her head appears in your vision, bloated with stolen souls, her teeth too sharp for a goat, her horns black and twisted. She smiles.

" _And we could not have done it without you._ "

The queen looks at him, and extends a hand, palm up. The king looks shocked, then grins wide, his eyes sparkling with hunger and delight. You watch, helplessly, as they clasp their hands.

All around you there are bodies. The monsters scatter everywhere, picking over the remains for any unclaimed soils. Dog-monsters tear at the bodies for sport as the pack leader looks on with satisfaction. Among a group of armored knights, the captain's body shudders, and a new eye grows from her socket, shining with terrible radiance. You turn your head, and see the scientist sitting at the corner of a building. She waves to you, smiling serenely.

A pulse of magic sets your head buzzing.

The king looks at the queen

the queen looks at the king

they raise their hands

and the world

becomes

fla̸m͟e҉̶e̸̸͟Ȩ̴͠Ę̵͏E̕҉̷̸̡ ̸͘̕͝͝E̷͢͢%̶̢̡̕͜!̷͠҉̵

* * *

You're back in the cavern.

It doesn't make sense. You should have died. You should have been able to fix this.

It doesn't make sense. You did everything right. There should have been a happy ending.

You should get up.

You should go back down there.

You should do something.

You don't.

"Frisk!" Asriel's voice makes you jump. "Frisk I'm sorry there were so many of them and I didn't know what was going on please be okay please..."

So it's his fault. Again. You should get angry, you should tell him to kill you, you should go back and...

...and do what, exactly? Warn the humans? ...and then you'd have two angry armies on your hands instead of one. Leave the barrier up? ...and the monsters will tear each other apart, the same as they've been doing this whole time. Just walk away? ...You'd have to kill someone...

There's no way forward. There's no way to save everyone. There's no good ending. This isn't...

"This isn't how it was supposed to go."

"...What are you talking about?" You startle again and realize you said that out loud. You turn. Asriel is giving you a piercing stare, his question hanging in the air. "Frisk?" His voice is quiet, but forceful. Too forceful. He already knows the answer.

What's the point anymore?

"It was supposed to have a happy ending," you say, half to yourself. "I knew it was going to be hard but it was supposed to work. I was supposed to be able to change them." Your vision's blurry and you're breathing funny. "It was supposed to be fun."

"No–!" Asriel squeaks. You blink, and you see he's crying too. "Y-y-you d-didn't do this! _Tell me you didn't do this!_ "

You can't say anything.

Asriel wails and balls your sweater in his tiny hands. He sobs and sobs. Several times he looks like he's going to say something, but every time he just sobs again.

You swallow, and answer his unvoiced question. "I just... after a lot of loops, I realized I could change some things, and–"

" _Why?!_ " Asriel screams into your sweater. He clutches tighter. "Everyone was happy! Everyone was so _n-nice!_ Was that n-not _g-good enough_ for you? Did you h-hate them th-this whole time?"

"No, of course not."

" _Then why?!_ "

There are a lot of things you could say. You could say you wanted to redeem them. You could say you wanted to prove you could save them even when they hated you. You could say you wanted to show you could be good and kind even in the face of evil. But you know that would be lying. To him, and to yourself.

Instead, you say:

"I wanted to see what would happen."

Asriel stops. He stops sobbing, stops breathing, just goes completely still. After a moment, he clutches you tighter, so hard it hurts. His whole body starts shaking, more and more until finally he lets it all out in a horrible screech, of rage or despair you can't tell, and shoves you to the ground.

"You're no..." He chokes on his words, breathes, and tries again. "You're no different from Flowey."

That stirs something in you, finally. Anger burns in your cheeks and you grasp for it, using it to pull yourself upright. "No," you say through gritted teeth. "No! We're _not_ the same! Don't you dare say that!"

"You toyed with them!" Asriel shouts back. "They _weren't_ good enough for you, so you picked them apart and changed them because they were just a game to you, just – like – _I did!_ " He buries his face in his hands and runs to the exit. He falls to his knees, and then his hands. You hear him crying. He stays there for a while, until the sobs get quieter and finally stop.

"I thought you were different," he murmurs. "I really thought you were different. I thought you cared about... m-me. But you didn't. You would have done it even if it meant destroying humanity. You only wanted a 'happy ending'."

He stays there for a while, completely still. Then he shudders and rises to his feet, a darker silhouette against the the twilight. "If you're really my friend..." He sighs, and shakes his head. "...No. No, this isn't just about me. Frisk, if you're really a _good person_... you'll reset. Make it right again. If you don't... I'll... kill you. I'll keep killing you until you do. And... you'll have to reset my memories, too." He pauses, then more quietly: "I don't want to remember you did this."

He stumbles forward, coming dangerously close to the precipice. He shifts a little – you think he's looking back at you, but you can't be sure.

"Goodbye."

He flares a dark, bright green. The light overtakes him, melting his form – no, more violent than that, like shearing, like chipping something down to size. His fur vanishes, his skin twists with that green light, and then he lets himself fall forward and he's gone, vanished over the precipice.

You're alone.

You stand and walk to the exit, unsteadily. There's nothing here except that and the empty cave, the edges extending into invisible darkness. The ground beneath you doesn't feel as firm as it once did. Nothing does.

A purple glow rings the horizon. A few stars are out. Beneath it all, the city looks like a star itself, illuminating the whole night with its brilliant flames. It's spread all out, like an inferno, like a lake of fire, Hell itself. As you watch, a flagging skyscraper finally collapses, swallowed by the red light. Along the edges, the fire is already spreading further, along the roads out of the city. They'll take another town before dawn.

You idly wonder how far they'll get. Monsters have magic, but they're like spun glass against a determined human. Surely once people find out, they'll drop a nuke on them and that will be that? Although, Asriel was invincible when you fought, and how many seven-souled monsters must they have by now? Maybe there'll be nothing left, in the end.

You blink tiredly. The flames burn themselves into your eyes, until they're all you can see. It's pointless to wonder. It's over.

It's the end.

 **CONTINUE** **| RESET**

* * *

*Key for FFN: The "CONTINUE" and "RESET" here are meant to be links. CONTINUE links to the Undertale fanfiction archive filtered to display Underfell works only; RESET links to the Undertale archive with Underfell works excluded.


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